Awakening
by zelda93
Summary: In the very beginning of Hyrule a great evil threatened the land, one of which even the first hero of courage could not concur. The goddesses desperate to save the world they had created, called upon a golden clad hero who defeated the greatest evil Hyrule had ever known. With an unparalleled evil now reawakening, this forgotten hero's tale is told once again.
1. Chapter 1

Awakening

Chapter1: Revelation

AN: I of course do not own anything from this franchise. all i own is the fingers I typed this with along with my computer. enjoy!

She woke to the sounds of birds chirping in the trees, and other small animals foraging for food in the underbrush. Though she was awake she did not open her eyes. She had no idea what time of day it was, though she could tell that it was day time. There were splotches of sunshine on her face, warm and comforting; almost making her want to go back to sleep.

But somehow this all seemed wrong to her. Was she in a forest? She opened her eyes, and got up on her hands and knees. It was a forest, but like none she had ever seen before. The trees were huge, they were not as large as red woods but much larger than normal trees. In fact they weren't normal trees at all. There were many trees around her, but she did not recognize any of them, they were strange and seemed to be completely different from any tree she had seen before. Their leaves and bark were completely alien, like they were from a whole other world. Everything about them was strange and different.

Suddenly in a panic she realized she wasn't supposed to be here. Where was here? Something was very wrong. She shook her head; trying to remember something, anything. Trying to concentrate, she tried to remember her name. She had a feeling if she could remember that, everything else would come eventually. Closing her eyes again, she sifted through names, and occasionally saying them out loud to see if they sounded familiar. None sounded right.

She got up on her feet to better survey the forest around her. Turning in a circle to get a general lay out of her surroundings, it was then she noticed that among the trees were ruins of what must have been an elaborate building. She began to explore the ruins, awed at the level of construction. Though most of the walls had been reduced to 10 to 15 feet in height and there was no roof left, she could not shake the feeling that they were even older than they looked. The more she explored the building the more it seemed to give off an air of power and soon she came across a circular room, curious she entered.

Again awe struck she saw a small pedestal in the center of the circle, with a shimmering blade in it. Its hilt was a dark blue with three connected triangles on the pommel. She couldn't help staring at the blade, it was magnificent. The blade looked to her like it had been there just as long as the building its self; but it had the appearance of a brand new blade with no imperfections that she could identify. She walked up to the blade suddenly hesitant, and tried to pull the blade from the pedestal, but couldn't get the blade free.

She looked at it confused. "It must be meant for a certain person… like Excalibur was" she thought out loud. Realizing her memory was coming back to her,she decided it was best to leave such things alone and began pacing through the ruins again, trying to remember what her name was and simultaneously seeing if the ruins held any more secrets. It finally hit her that her name was Annie. "_Why couldn't I remember my own name_?" thought Annie. The idea of not being able to remember her name scared her. It was like losing her identity, she kept saying it over and over again to make sure there was no way she would forget it again.

Comforted with her revelation, she relaxed and found a place to sit underneath a tree. "So now what I am supposed to do?" she said aloud, half hoping someone would answer her. A gentle breeze through the trees was the only answer to her question. Leaning her head back against the tree she looked up the trunk of the tree "_this place is beautiful"_ she thought. The beauty of the forest combined with the golden sunshine drifting through the canopy was the only thing keeping her from having a panic attack.

Looking at the sun, she figured it was roughly midday. "_I need to make something to sleep in and on….then find out where I am." _By her reasoning there was no way that she could figure out where she was, and then find her way home before dark. Carful to keep the ruins in mind she began gathering large sticks and bows from the trees to start a lean to. It was warm it the forest, it was neither to hot or too cold, but Annie couldn't tell exactly what season it was. She didn't want to freeze in the middle of the night, she began her lean to by finding relatively straight branch and putting it in the fork of one of the smaller trees inside the ruins. Then she put a forked branch to hold up the other end of the straight branch. She took branches with smaller forks on the sides and laid them vertically to make a tent shape. Next she took more branches and laid them horizontally in the forks of the vertical branches. The last step in the process was to lay bows on the outside of the lean to and on the ground for her to sleep on.

"_I need a fire…but how?"_ she checked the pockets of her jeans to see If she had anything flammable. There was nothing. "_I'll have to make do without one I guess." _There were ways to make fire without a lighter but she didn't know any of them.

It was getting close to dark now. She sat down in front of her lean to, and began to wonder when her next meal would be. She remembered hunting with her family, and remembered how. But she had nothing to hunt WITH, and nothing to make a wooden weapon with. Just then a squirrel ran by a few feet away. Or at least she thought that's what it was. The animal had the same body shape as a squirrel but its coloring was all wrong! The more animals she saw moving about in the dusk the more they seemed different. Every animal had the same body shape as would be expected but then also had differences that made them seem strange and like a whole different animal. This made her second guess everything. "_What's with this place?" _she thought.

Soon the sun drifted down below the trees and darkness settled over what little of this world she knew, for she had decided this was not the earth that she had come from. Crawling into her lean to she laid down and tried to calm her thoughts enough so that she could sleep. Soon she was asleep and even though she was uncomfortable, and the sleep was much needed.

Annie half woke up the next morning, hoping she would wake up in her bed at home. There was nothing more she wanted at that moment than to be home. When she finally brought herself to get up she was still in her lean to, much to her disappointment.

"So _how and where am I supposed to get something to eat"_ she wondered. After crawling out of her lean to she stood just outside of its entrance. She looked out into the forest again, but nothing had changed. This was both relaxing and disturbing to her; she was relieved that she had not woken up to another strange world. But what frightened her was the fact that she hadn't eaten or had anything to drink in over a day.

"_If anything, I need to find a stream or river to get something to drink_." Again keeping the ruins in mind, she began looking for a stream or river. She made wide circles around the ruins so that she wouldn't get lost.

"Who are you?"

Annie let out a muffled scream, who had said that? " ummmm…..I'm Annie. Who are you?" After all this time she was shocked to hear another voice, she had thought that she was all alone here.

"im skull kid…will you play with me?" said the voice while simultaneously appearing in front of her.

He wasn't really a kid. He was not human for that Annie was sure. She had no idea of what he actually was, but he resembled a scarecrow to her. "_Are all the people here like this" _she wondered.

"ummmm….no….where are we? …Exactly." Inquired Annie

Skull kid looked at her confused " Hyrule" he said slowly.

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" she screamed "Hyrule is a place in a video game!" There was no way she could believe that this place was Hyrule, it couldn't be real and she couldn't be there. The more she thought about it though the more it made sense. If this was Hyrule it would explain the weird trees, animals, and most importantly the sword.

"That sword was the master sword" she whispered "and that means…these ruins are the ruins of the temple of time!"

"of course these are the ruins of the temple of time" said skull kid, jumping her out of her reverie. He looked taken aback by her yelling, and eyed her with suspicion from then on. "how do you NOT know where you are?"

Annie thought for a moment, wondering if she should tell him the truth, that she had just woken up her the other morning. From what she remembered skull kid hadn't been evil or dangerous in the games except for majora's mask, and this place seemed more to resemble twilight princess than anything.

"I just woke up here the other day. I have no idea how I got here" she finally said. Her stomach rumbled. Throughout their conversation she had forgotten about food and water, but now she remembered.

"hmmmm…did your friends play a trick on you" asked skull kid

"no I don't think so…but do you know where I can find some food and water? I haven't had anything to eat or drink for almost two days now…."

"There's Ordon village, it's not too far from here" said skull kid thoughtfully.

"can you take me there?" pleaded Annie

"I can take you out of the sacred grove…but not to the village its self" he said. He grabbed her arm and she began to struggle against him suddenly afraid.

"LET ME GO!" she screamed. Trying as hard as she could to get away from him, but he was stronger than he looked. All of sudden there was a flash of movement, everything went dark and when she could see again she was not where she had been.


	2. Fate

Fate

**AN: This is turning out to be the longest single piece of work I have ever written. Please review and comment on what you think of it.**

She was in front of a very large tree. Bigger than any of the ones she had seen so far, it was not overwhelming in height but in width. The tree by her standards was still quite large but not as tall as some she had seen in the sacred grove. There was a hole in the side of tree big enough for a person to walk through. Suddenly she realized that skull kid wasn't there with her, she hoped she hadn't angered him when she screamed at him. She shuddered, thinking of what Skull kid had been like in Majora's mask. "I don't want him as an enemy; I've only been here a few days and need as much help and as little hurt as possible." Annie looked at the large tree in front of her, thinking thoughtfully. She knew it was the tree that lead to the forest temple, she noticed that the spider web that blocks the way originally was missing. "I wonder if he's in there…or already been in there." Whether or not Link was in there would affect her very survival, for if he was it would mean there was many monsters about and a greater chance of her getting hurt, or worse. But she did not think about the latter, and instead focused again on the problem.

"There's always the chance he has already been there" thought Annie. Even if he was though, it still may not make much of a difference, he could have just left or been gone for a while.

She began to wonder about the spirit Faron, obviously he had been restored because the world wasn't covered in shadow. She knew because the web was burnt, link in his wolf form could not have cleared it and no one else would have. She shuddered again thinking of how she would not be able to tell the difference between the two. "at least I'll be able to see where the border each other" she thought.

Deciding it best to leave the dungeons to Link she walked away from the tree down towards the little birds store, and then thought better of it. She had no bottle to hold any potion in and didn't like the idea of stealing from the little bird. "everything on the people of Ordon village" Annie hoped they would give her a meal, even if she had to work it off.

She finally came to the poisonous gas and stopped dead in her tracks "how in the world am I going to get around this?" she exclaimed loudly. There was no way she could get through the gas without a lamp and to get one of those you had to buy them from a guy… who was on the other side. There was no way for her to call Skull kid either; sitting down and crossing her legs she held her head in her hands. Trying to think of a way to get around this "he did this on purpose didn't he" she thought. There was no way for her to go back or forward, the only way she could think of was to go through the forest temple to the warp at the end, in the boss room. She didn't think it was possible for her to accomplish it though; it was too dangerous for her to attempt. There was a rustling noise ahead of her, she heard some animals cause a ruckus due to something invading their territories. As suddenly as they had been aggravated they stopped making noise, she looked up anticipating whatever was coming, preparing herself for whatever may come.

Through the purple fog she could make out the figure of a man with a lantern in one hand and a sword in the other. Soon after she spotted him she saw two monsters and a dozen or so bats appear out of the fog and attack him. His sword flashed and several of the bats died. The monsters then took their wooden swords and stabbed at him but he agilely jumped out of the way, rolled to the side and slashed them both across the sides. The monsters fell to the ground, one disintegrated into the ground while the laid there stunned. The man jumped into the air and drove his sword squarely into the creature's chest, and it to disintegrated.

He sheathed his sword and began walking towards her, but it didn't seem like he had noticed her yet. As he made his way to the rise where she sat, which also blocked the fog from spreading, he noticed her. He slowed his pace a little, as if not to scare her. Suddenly she realized who he was, he was Link; the main character in all the games. She fumbled for words, wondering what she should say and do; but her mind froze and she just stared blankly at him. He stopped a few feet in front of her and eyed her curiously.

She got to her feet and tried to speak him, tried to ask him if he could take her to the other side of the fog; but all she managed was a pathetic squeak. Annie screamed as his shadow jumped and writhed and another shadow appeared beside his shoulder. The shadow looked at her curiously, as did Link.

"hehehe looks like I scared her. Do you want something?" said the shadow.

Annie realized now the shadow was midna, and she knew she was in Twilight princess.

"ummmm no..I mean yes, I need to get to the other side of this fog so I can go to Ordon and get some food. I haven't eaten anything in long time…"

"…." said Link taking a bottle of red liquid out of one of the pouches on his waist.

"Are you sure? You may need it sometime Link" said Annie

"how do you know his name?" said Midna curtly and distrustfully "and what are you wearing?"

She panicked, there was no way she could tell them and convince them that their adventure was a video game. Annie fumbled for what to say that would explain how she knew him and how to cover for future slips she was sure she would make. She looked between the two, eyes flashing with dread as Link began to draw his sword.

"WAIT, WAIT! I'm a seer! I can see important events and the future!" holding up her hands to attempt to protect herself, though she was sure it would help much against Links sword.

" ok 'seer'" said Midna disbelievingly "what's happening to this world?"

"Zant is trying to merge this world with the twilight realm!" said Annie quickly. She figured there was no harm in telling them this, for they already knew it, but she would have to be more careful in the future. "And I want to help you stop him!" she added. Her chances were defiantly better with them then on her own. Plus there was no way she was going to pass this up.

Link put his sword away and gave her the bottle, which she drank thankfully. She imagined her hearts being filled up by the red potion and had to muffle a laugh "Maybe this place isn't so bad after all"

"hmmmm, your ability may be useful to us. I guess you can come along, just don't get in the way" said Midna thoughtfully.

"so why were you coming this way?" inquired Annie

"…" came the response

"oh, I see. Got to keep your supplies up I guess, shall we go then?"

"hehehe we should hurry before this province is covered in twilight again" said Midna mischievously.

They all headed towards the little birds shop where Link filled his lantern, and filled the bottle with red potion once again, paid and they soon left the way they had come.


	3. Chapter 3

Learning

**AN: Sorry about my spelling and grammar errors, I'm kind of new at this and will try and catch those before I post new chapters. Thanks again for reading my story and please comment and let me know how I'm doing.**

"….." asked Link

"no, I don't think I want to anymore" said Annie "that is if you have enough food and water"

"…." Answered Link

" alright; so where and what are we going to do now" asked Annie

They entered the poisonous fog then, and had to slow their pace to give the lantern enough time to burn enough of the fog off so they wouldn't choke. They walked for a few minutes and stopped, to once again give the lantern time to burn off the fog. They repeated this process as they walked and it was then that Midna appeared from Links shadow, on account that it wasn't likely that anyone else would be around to see her. Its surprised Annie just how much her presence bothered her, Midna had not seemed like a creepy character in the game but now she was literally in the game she realized how uneasy she made her feel. It was easy to forget she was even there and that she could hear everything that was said.

"We have to restore the next spirit to lift the next province out of the twilight" answered Midna " and then we have to find the next piece of fused shadow, which is likely to be there as well"

Annie nodded in agreement, thankful to know at what point she was in the games time line. She stayed close to Link and by default the lantern. She was afraid of the purple fog, and what may and probably was in it. Plus she didn't mind staying close to him.

Annie couldn't believe how similar this world was to the game, but how different it was as well. It was so much more beautiful than it had been in the game, and the fog swirled around them in angry swells like a raging sea; while in the game it had been a stationary mist. The hills and bark of the tree's were also different, they weren't so angular and much more realistic than they had been in the game. Everything had texture and character and almost seemed like a perfect world, but she knew it wasn't.

Annie couldn't help but wonder about the monsters and other creatures in the fog, and how she would have to rely on Link to protect her. The more she thought about it though the less she minded, but she wanted to show him that she wasn't some helpless girl.

" I think I may need a weapon" said Annie somewhat nervously

"…"inquired Link

"no I don't, other than fake sword fights with my brother"

"…" replied Link "….."

"where will we find one though?"

Midna rejoined the conversation then "hehe we could always steal one from the same place we got the first one…..the rusl guy"

Link gave her a disapproving glare, and shook his head; making it perfectly clear that he would not stand any more stealing from the people of Ordon, or anyone else for that matter.

They kept walking as they had been but as they reached the other edge of the purple fog Midna once again hide in Links shadow. They entered the hole that was the cave that would lead to hyrule field and the village of Ordon. At this point Annie began to hang back, she didn't have to worry about the fog anymore and didn't want to be in Link's way when he fought the various bats, rats, and baba serpents.

Only a hundred or so feet into the cave they were attacked by rats and bats alike. She jumped back with a poorly muffled yelp when Link drew his sword faster than Annie had expected. His sword knocked aside the bats first which disintegrated in the air. Without missing a beat he focused on the rats and continued his swing; so that the rats met the same fate as the bats in the very same stroke of his sword.

They continued through the cave but Link didn't sheath his sword, so he would be ready for whatever lay ahead of them. They were attacked several times by bats and rats as well and each time they were dispelled with a few deft strokes of Links sword. Soon though, they came across a baba serpent which was a more deadly foe than the others had been. The baba serpent jumped out of its resting position and bobbed back and forth looking for an opening in either of their defenses. Annie made sure she was especially far from it and out of Links way as well, she was sure it could do a lot more damage than the animals in the caves. Suddenly the baba plant lashed out at Link, at the last second though he jumped out of the of the baba's path and brought his sword down on the stalk of the plant, and it died.

They continued through the cave in much the same manner, and when they finally came to the end Annie was relieved to be able to see more than a few feet in front of her. Her and Link both paused outside the caves mouth, to readjust their eyes so they could see clearly. Soon they began walking towards the lantern fuel salesman and Hyrule field.

"Why hello there!" said the salesman as soon as he saw them "care to buy some lantern fuel?"

"….." replied Link and filled up his lantern. He then paid the man and Annie and Link began walking towards Hyrule field.

"thank you kindly traveler" said the salesman

Her and Link made their way into Hyrule field and again monsters sprang at them. BOTH of them; Link was a fair swordsman but he was not an expert and was occupied with several of the monsters. One of the monsters sprang at her with its club and swung wildly at her. Annie yelped and jumped aside just before he could hit her, but the monster was relentless. He only paused long enough to lift his club and then charge at her again. Annie risked a glance at Link, only to see him fighting his own battle with several other monsters. She turned and faced the monster rushing at her once again, he ran at her head long with his club held high. She was absolutely terrified but she couldn't think about that or she would freeze. He swung at her again and she just managed to roll out of the way in much the same way Link did. After missing her twice the monster again turned on her and looked at her with such malice she couldn't help but stare back with terror and wonder. He came at her again but she couldn't make herself move this time, she realized her mistake to late and all she could do is watch him advance at her; she wished she had a purple potion. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want to stay dead either. The monster seemed to advance at her in slow motion, but Annie knew it was just the adrenalin. As he got close to her she blacked out, whether it was from him hitting her with his club or just her own pure terror; she couldn't tell.

When she finally came to she had a major headache and she knew that the monster had hit her. She just laid there for a while trying to block out the pain hoping it would go away with a little time. But it didn't really help and she decided that it was time to open her eye's and face whatever was out there. When she did she immediately knew she was in a lot of trouble, she was in a circular wooden cage which meant that the monster had captured her. They were probably going to try and eat her soon whenever they got back, so she focused on trying to find a way out of this mess. "I wonder if Link is coming to save me…and I REALLY need my own weapon"

She looked around trying to figure out where in Hyrule field she was. She guessed she was in about the middle of the field. Which would mean that Link would have to come in this general direction, but It didn't mean that he hadn't already and missed her. She looked around her cage again and tried to find a loose post, there was none though. She thought back to how Link had broken the cages in the game, and it was then she remembered that once he had knocked a cage off of a large pole, like a totem pole. Her cage was on the ground but she couldn't help but wondering if she could knock it over and role it in to a rock to break a couple of the posts. This was the only thing Annie could think to do, and she wasn't just going to sit around and wait for the monsters to come back, and she didn't know if she had enough time to wait for Link.

So she began rocking her cage back and forth in an attempt to knock it over. When she finally did tip over the cage she hadn't taken into account the slight slope of the land and it began rolling downhill. The slope of the hill was slight, but the caged kept picking up speed. She was tossed around inside the cage and battered by the hard wooden posts. Finally the cage ran into a large boulder, and all Annie could do was lay there for a while until the world stopped spinning. When she could trust herself not to barf, she began testing the bars of her cage again. She jiggled and kicked each of them but they were all as sturdy as they had been before.

At this point Annie got so angry that she had done all this and hadn't escaped yet, she turned to ends of the cage and began taking all her frustration out on it. She kicked it and hit it with everything she had. She took all of her frustration, her terror, and loneliness out on that one piece of wood. Soon the piece of circular wood flew off the cage from the force of her blows. She crawled out of the cage and laid on the ground stretching her arms and legs, happy to be free at last. She laid there for a few minutes until her legs and arms uncramped.

She realized it was starting to get late in the day, and she didn't want to be stuck in Hyrule field without Link. She didn't want to get kidnapped again or die, which was always a possibility. She needed to find Link, but she wasn't sure how to. The only way she could think of to meet him was at the twilight gate that leads to Kakariko village. But she wasn't exactly sure where to go to find it "if only I had been awake when they brought me here"

Annie began walking, both to get away from the place where the monsters had brought her and in an attempt to find Link. She remembered that the section of Hyrule field that she was in was circular, and she figured that she would find the gate she was looking for eventually. She didn't just nonchalantly walk around though, she made sure to stay out sight of monsters and other animals that might attack her. Being attacked and kidnapped once was enough of an ordeal and she had no desire to go through it again.

She hid behind trees and on sides of hills, staying alive took priority over speed. Soon she came to a trail that lead to a twilight gate that she was sure would lead her to Kakariko village. There was no way for her to tell whether or not Link had already entered or not. So she did the only thing she could do, she found a comfortable place to sit down so that she could keep an eye on the trail. So that there was no way another monster could sneak up on her, and she waited. She waited for the twilight to be lifted or Link to come and find her, whichever came first. She didn't mind sitting and waiting anyway, her head still hurt and she was thankful to have some piece and quite for a little while. Soon the sun went down and when it was finally dark Annie was so exhausted she unwillingly slipped into a much needed sleep.


	4. Evolution

Evolution

**Sorry this chapter took so long; hope you all enjoy it. Also if anyone thinks they have any good suggestions or idea's please let me know. Please comment and review.**

Annie awoke to the sun creeping up over the horizon, it was a beautiful sunrise but it hardly even occurred to her. The first thing that Annie did when she woke was to inspect her surroundings quite methodically, for anything that might hurt her or possibly help her. It was hard to enjoy the beauty of this world when it was constantly trying to kill her. She doubted that anyone would come along; most people were still spirits in the twilight covered provinces of Hyrule. The only person she could think of that might help her other than Link was the mail man. This also seemed unlikely to her as well.

Annie made sure to check ALL of her surroundings, the sky, the terrain around her and the trees. She was not going to leave anything to chance any more. She had been there for only a few days and had come to close to injury for her liking. She saw nothing though that could hurt her so she stood up and stretched her aching arms and legs. Annie turned and looked at the twilight gate, she wondered if it really was the right one. It wasn't blocked off like the other two had been in the game but she didn't think they would be blocked off, or at least not blocked off in the same way here.

She contemplated if Link had already entered the twilight gate. If he had gone straight to gate without spending much time looking for her she was sure he was already there. The question was how long had he or was he looking for her, it occurred to her he could still be looking and she wondered if she should stay and wait. She wondered how long she should stay in one place, and Annie figured if he didn't find her by midafternoon she would have to go looking for him. She was going to wait as long as possible to see if he was in the twilight.

By the time the sun had reached its apex it seemed like an eternity had passed. Nothing had changed, the twilight hadn't vanished and she didn't see a break in the twilight in the distance. She gathered herself up and began walking away from the gate. She really had no idea where she was going or where Link may be but she couldn't stand waiting any more, she had to do something. When Annie came to the opening to Hyrule field she crouched behind a small knoll and checked her surroundings again for various monsters. She could see a bulbin far off in the distance, he looked like he was alone and it seemed to Annie that he had a bow instead of a club. She had a crazy idea.

She watched him intently for a few more minutes, to make sure he hadn't already seen her, and when she was convinced he hadn't she began to creep towards him in a kitty-cornered fashion; using the natural hills and furrows to her advantage. Annie watched the bulbin intently, as she crept towards him ever so slowly. She watched him with the same intensity that a starving dog watches a steak. She was tense and ready to run the moment he showed any aggression; when he would turn she would adjust her direction so that she was for the most part, directly behind him. This time; the bulbin was the prey, and she was the predator.

Finally when she was a few hundred feet from him she stopped and silently surveyed the area. She was looking for anything with significant weight behind it, but that could also fit in one or two hands. At first she looked for a medium sized rock that she could hit him over the head with. But it was mostly dirt and small rocks, so she scanned the ground once again careful to keep an eye on the bulbin at the same time. Soon she came to the base of a large tree, she peeked around it to look at the bulbin yet again. He had no idea she was there and he seemed content to stay put for a while so Annie looked around the base of the tree for a piece of a branch or stick. Soon she found at piece of a large branch about the same thickness as baseball bat and two and half feet long.

Now her focus shifted solely to the lone bulbin. She took advantage of every shadow, bush and hillock, careful to keep an eye on him while staying out of his sight. Soon she was within 50 feet of the bulbin and prepared herself for what she was about to do, she crept to the last place where she was sure where he could not see her. Once there she crouched and took a minute to mentally prepare herself, Annie thought her way through the plan again, picturing what would or could happen. Trying to plan out her and his moves beforehand, like a well-choreographed dance, she figured that because he had a bow the closer she could get to him the safer she would be.

Annie stepped out from behind the tree with the large stick in her hands, the bulbin was still facing away from her. Again she crept closer, slowly, and as quietly as she could; but she made no attempt this time to hide. Suddenly the Bulbin whirled around to face her, Annie wasn't sure how he had known she was there or if he had, but he wasted no time.

He swiftly nocked an arrow then raised and readied his bow, Annie jumped and ducked out of the way just as he loosed an arrow exactly where she had just been. Annie jumped to her feet and rushed at the bulbin before he could prepare another arrow. The bulbin was faster than she had expected and she had only enough time to land a quick blow to his side which didn't affect him like she had hoped it would. He wavered for a moment but Annie could tell it wasn't going to stop him for long, so she used the brief time it had given her to put some distance between him and her.

Again the bulbin nocked another arrow but this time he didn't fire it at her immediately. He actually turned away from her and ran from her a distance, this confused Annie and his strange behavior broke her out of her fighting reverie for a moment. When he stopped and turned towards her again she realized what he was doing and she was in trouble…again. He lifted his bow and aimed it at her, she immediately ran in a spiral around him with him at the center. This would make firing at her harder for the archer bulbin because he would have to fire ahead of her if he wanted to hit her, plus as she got closer it would make hitting her twice as hard.

When she was just out of side of an arm's length from the bulbin she stopped running, took the stick in both hands and bashed him over the head with it. He crumpled to the ground instantly, Annie wasn't sure if he was dead or not and she really didn't want to risk being around when or if he woke up again. She looked around for the whole reason for this fight. It didn't take long to find since he had been using it. Annie grabbed the bow and slung it over her shoulder, then rolled the bulbin over and unstrapped his quiver and strapped it to her back and trotted off behind a tree to hide in case the monster woke up again.

After a few minutes he got to his feet, she must have only knocked him out. He raised himself to his feet and searched for his bow and quiver, after a few minutes he began looking around for them on the ground. Annie wondered if she should take this opportunity to practice with her new bow, but she didn't want to waste the arrows she had when she wasn't in dire straits. The quiver was only about half full and in the end she decided it would be better to wait until she had a full quiver. Again she kept an eye on the bulbin, to make sure that he didn't see her while she was making her get away.

Annie decided that she would make her way back to the twilight gate to see if anything had changed. Even though she now had a weapon she felt it was in her best interest to keep a low profile as to not waste any of her arrows. She crept back the way she had come, constantly keeping an eye on the bulbin, who still seemed to be looking for his bow and quiver.

As she made her way back towards the gate Annie noticed something was different. "The twilight isn't there anymore!" She thought with amazement, Link had been in the twilight after all. Now she stopped worrying about being seen by monsters hurried towards the gate, she didn't want to be alone anymore; and she really didn't want to be one step behind him the whole time.

At least this time she would know for sure where to meet up with him if she didn't get to kakariko. She had no idea how long it had been since Link had lifted the Twilight so she hurriedly, but carefully made her way towards the little village. Annie really had no desire to meet king bulbin, and she REALLY didn't want to be tied to that pole. So the closer she got the more cautious she was.


	5. A gift and a Curse

A Gift and a Curse

**Ok, so because I'm one of those people who likes to give credit where its due I must thank Genjen, Evanlicious, soniclove96, sadfacehappyface, and Bad Mittens all for reviewing my story. It means a lot, and also thanks to those of you who have alerted or added it to your favorites list. Sorry it takes so long to update sometimes, I have been really busy lately with school stuff. Also if you have been wondering Link will not directly speak in this fanfiction**.

Rounding the corner, Annie noticed a figure standing to one side of the road. Subconsciously she knew this figure was human, but her self preservation instincts would not allow her to just walk up to this person. All most instantly her mood switched from excited and hurried, to slow and deliberate without her meaning it to. Watching the figure carefully, she concealed herself within the shadows and dips in the land; using every advantage the land gave her. Grabbing an arrow out of her quiver, she held it between her pointer finger and middle finger while also deftly hanging on to the bow it's self with her other three fingers. So as to leave herself a free hand if the need arose, Annie was carful though to keep her free arm close to the bow in case she needed to react quickly to a threat from the stranger.

A couple hundred yards or so from the man Annie stopped perplexed. With all that these people had, and were going through she had a hard time believing that they wouldn't be aware of their surroundings. Yet this man had not noticed her yet, for now it was obvious to her this was indeed a man. Stopping a safe distance away amongst the shadows of the underbrush, Annie crouched down partly to take a small breather and to prepare herself; and partly to take a brief amount of time to study him.

He stood erect, and straight without the posture of a man who worked in any kind of hard labor. He did not wear the cloths of a laborer either, but more like long flowing robes with long sleeves. He held his head high with his chin up, with a scowl on his face that was not from anger or annoyance but of deep thought. He stared off into the distance, at what; Annie wasn't sure. She couldn't see any aggression in his posture or his face, and she could see no weapons on him either. But he could very well have a knife hidden somewhere or some other weapon of similar proportions.

"You have stayed in one place for far too long my dear." Said the man somewhat dispassionately yet not uncaring "If you plan on sneaking up on human beings your stealth needs improvement." All the while the man kept his eyes fixed in the same place they had been the whole time, he didn't even glance over at her.

Annie took slight offense to this, she had begun to pride herself with being stealthy enough to sneak up on bulbins and to survive. But then again they were just bulbins, and couldn't be all that intelligent compared to humans. Annie still kept her eyes on the man unwilling to trust him "What is your name?" inquired Annie somewhat accusingly.

"Renado, my name is Renado. I'm the town shaman" He said finally turning towards her and looking at her. "You wouldn't happen to be from Ordon would you?" he asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"…..in a way" Annie finally responded carefully. Remembering that the young children of Ordon were here, Annie remembered Renado but was unwilling to trust him just yet. She had already been through so much, and was unwilling to risk putting herself through even more.

"Have you also come looking for the children?" he asked quite suddenly. It was a simple enough question but Annie got the feeling that she should be careful of how she answered it. Renado stared at her with a determined and warning expression which caused her to look down at herself. Annie realized she still had her bow at the ready, and cautiously put the arrow back in the quiver and the bow over her shoulder.

"Not exactly…I was traveling with a man named Link but we…got separated. Have you seen him? Do you know where he's going?" Annie figured the truth was best in this scenario. Plus Renado was most likely the only person who knew where Link had gone or was at the moment. At the mention of Links name Renado looked a bit surprised to hear it from her, but his expression quickly became softer towards her.

"I'm afraid you just missed him, he left for Ordon but he will return shortly. Come, you must be hungry and tired. I will have someone prepare a bed for you later tonight." At the mention of a bed and a proper meal all of Annie's reservations about trusting Renado disappeared, and she eagerly followed him into the small little town.

Later that night Annie lay in the bed that had been provided for her looking up at the roof, it was a decent sized room with a dresser and two windows. It felt like it had been an eternity since she had laid on a real bed, it had a mattress of sorts, with sheets and a pillow. Small commodities, yet they provided such comfort to her; Annie was surprised just how much she had missed them. Earlier that night she had also eaten the first real meal she had had sense arriving in this world. Annie looked over at her bow for what must have been the thousandth time; she had never used it, but being away from it by any distance unnerved her. She didn't even know if it was the right kind of weapon for her. Reluctantly she climbed out of her bed and opened one of her windows in her room; she sighed and breathed in the night air. It was cool and relaxing, the moon was just making its way over the cliffs and its light was unnaturally bright. It illuminated everything in much the same way the sun does, but with a soft and calming air to it. Grabbing her bow Annie made her way towards the door to her room as quietly as she could, not knowing if anyone else was in the other rooms. Finally outside the building Annie let out a sigh of relief, the last thing she wanted to do was anger her new hosts. Annie conjured a mental map of Kakariko, wondering where she would go to practice. Finally she decided the cemetery would be the best place to go, it was out of the way and a place not many villagers visited. She turned towards the town sanctuary and Eldins spirit pool, and made her way through the town.

"Come…." Came a voice in Annies head, like a thought, but not her own.

"Great….now I'm hearing things…" Only a few days in Hyrule and she was already going crazy.

"come….to my spring…." The voice said again. It was not unkind yet it was also demanding and stern. Annie stopped dead in her tracks; it had to be the spirit Eldin. Annie wasn't going to disobey him, there was too many things that could happen as a result. She veered away from the road that lead to the cemetery and walked knee deep into the pool. As soon as she came to a stop, the spirit Eldin appeared in front of her, his appearance was much like an eagle or hawk; and his wing span was about as long as a small plane. He paused for a moment and began talking to her again.

"The story I am about to tell you is one long forgotten, and it is imperative you tell no one of it. Do you understand?" asked Eldin with an edge of steel and warning in his voice.

Annie nodded in agreement "I understand."

"Then listen well and do not interrupt….. Long ago, shortly after the three goddesses had created Hyrule, the first great darkness descended upon the world. It ravaged this world of light in its earliest days, none could stand against this great evil, many tried and failed. In response to this great evil the three goddesses created the sword of evils bane, which I am sure you are familiar with. But the darkness was unlike any other that has come after it, and the sword of evils bane and its hero were not strong enough to defeat this darkness alone…. In response to this the three great goddesses created yet another blade. This second blade is the sister to the great blade of evils bane, and was and still is; unmatched by any other. Even its own sister is not as powerful. Its sole purpose is to protect this land from the most powerful and vengeful of enemies, and only bestowed upon one who is worthy when the need arises. The blade has called you here for this purpose, and when your task is complete you may be able to return home. But know this; since the great darkness of long ago was defeated by Illumous and its hero, for that is the name of the sword, it has been protected by the guardians of this land. No evil since has required this sword or its hero to step forth and challenge it. You, who is worthy of commanding this great blade, be for warned; it will not reveal its true power until you face this new great darkness. Do not be deceived though, young hero, for even in its current state it is a formidable weapon. Though you must learn how to use it; now, receive your gift and wield it well for all of Hyrule."

Suddenly a golden light enveloped everything that Annie could see. The light was so intense she covered her face with her hands in attempt to hide her face. Thankfully the light dissipated shortly, when Annie finally opened her eyes Eldin was gone; and at her feet lay a sword. It was unlike any she had ever seen, it seemed to glow with its own ethereal light. It had a relatively thin blade, and was about three feet long; its cross guard in the shape of two angelic wings. Annie noticed the wings were gold with a white triforce symbol etched in-between them while the hilt of the sword was a more transparent gold with white gold interlacing it. The sheath of the sword was black with golden designs, and for some reason she couldn't take her eyes off of it. Finally she got the nerve to take the sword out of its sheath, immediately the sword began to glow brighter; it fit in her hands perfectly, but she was going to have to get someone to teach her how to fight with it. Annie sheathed Illumous, and went to sling it over her shoulder when she noticed her cloths had changed. She was wearing a tunic much like Links, but it was gold with black trim around the edges with a slight "V" neck; it had swirls around the collar and the triforce symbol at the bottom. She had a hat much like Links as well. Her brain was too tired though to fully process all of this and she just strapped Illumous over her shoulder and quietly made her way back up into her room. It had grown late in the night and Annie was exhausted. Once there, she hid Illumous under her bed and again leaned the bow against the wall and climbed into the bed. She wrapped herself up into her blankets and tried to sleep, but she kept thinking about the sword that was now under her bed "…I still have so many questions."


	6. The Consequences

**The Consequences of Bravery**

**With this chapter I have now reached a total of over 10,000 words! YAY! I have made references to two other stories in this chapter, this will not become a cross over but if you notice them and in your comment (or in a PM) tell me the correct answers I will recognize you in my next authors note. Also if I need a name for a new character at any point in the future I will use the name of the first person to get the right answers. Good luck! **

Annie woke the next morning and curled back into her blankets, trying to block out the daylight and everything that had happened in the night. Annie wouldn't deny that she loved the sword; everything else that came with it was what frightened her. She had a destiny now, and wasn't all that excited about it. Finally deciding it would be best to get out of bed, she pulled herself out of her blankets; checked on Illumous and put on the almost knee high boots Eldin had given her, then headed down the stairs. Annie didn't want to make a bad first impression on the towns folk. Everyone who was still left in town was there in the inn's parlor eating breakfast. Which wasn't very many, only the four children from Ordon, Renado and his daughter, and Barnes. They greeted her with as much enthusiasm as they could. Renado motioned to an empty seat at the table, with an identical plate to everyone else's; so she sat and began eating. No one seemed to care about her sudden change in apparel; in fact they most likely viewed this new outfit as normal wear. No one questioned where she had gotten it either which she was thankful for. After everyone finished their meals they all moved on in separate directions, no one saying a word. After Annie had finished her own meal she made her way back up to her room and sat on the side of her bed not knowing what to do. Feeling drawn to the sword Annie fished Illumous out from under her bed; she unsheathed the sword and it began glowing brightly in her hands. It fit in her hands like a missing puzzle piece. Annie laid the blade across her lap and thought about what she should do, while also inspecting the sword once again; Annie never tired of looking at it. She had to learn how to use it as fast as possible, but Annie had no idea who could teach her while Link was gone. Renado was the town leader, so he was most likely to know where she could learn swordplay. Annie put Illumous back into its sheath and then strapped it to her back, quickly grabbed her bow and headed off towards the sanctuary; wondering all the while how long it would be before king bulbin would come.

Coming up to the building she opened the door wide enough for her head and peaked in the sanctuary " And he's not here" she spat. "Just my luck." Nothing ever could come easy just for once. Annie turned around angrily, frustrated and tense. She let herself lean against the building, and began to ponder what she should do now; going out into the field and learning on the fly was out of the question. Annie had the feeling she wouldn't last more than a few minutes out there on her own, with absolutely no experience with either weapon. Unable think of anything else she decided that the old plan would be the new one, and headed off towards the cemetery.

It was a slipshod of crooked tomb stones that had their lettering partially or wholly erased by time and bad weather; the earth was lumpy and twisted like kneaded bread, the most likely reason why made Annie shudder. It had a calm yet sad feel to it, which was expected for the resting place of the Zora's royalty. Annie skirted around the gravestones and any other place she thought there might be a soul at rest. She gingerly made her way up the stairs that lead to the platform like outcropping that overlooked the cemetery. Annie unstrapped Illumous, feeling its weight pull her down and rolled her shoulders feeling the sweet release of its surprising weight; it was a lot like taking off a backpack loaded with thick text books. Not wasting any time, Annie leaned Illumous against the side of a steep hill and moved to the opposite side of the outcropping. Annie wasn't exactly eager to pick up the weight of the sword again at the moment; so she drew the bow, nocked an arrow, and tested the string. It wasn't as hard to pull back as she had expected, and pulled the string as far back as the wooden bow would allow. Setting the hand holding the string against the bottom corner of her cheek bone, and the other at eye level in front of her; she sighted down the shaft of the arrow and aimed it at the lone tree on the outcropping. Annie let the arrow fly as soon as she spotted something noticeable on the tree to aim at. She hit the tree but had completely missed her mark. Trudging over to the tree she yanked out the arrow in her frustration, paced over to where she had been and repeated the process. Each time coming closer to her target but never hitting it. She eventually lost all sense of time and began to focus solely on her archery; Annie used the same arrow continuously to avoid damaging more than one, because they could very well mean the difference between life and death. She had no idea how many times she had fired it and retrieved it again; soon though she found her target to be the somewhat circular place where the tree was missing bark. It was her own efforts that had caused it, and with each cycle it deepened. The patch of missing bark was about a hand wide, though she missed it as often as she hit it; which left gashes all across the face of the tree. It was hard to keep a tight group, as she had to try and keep her hand on the bow in the same place to be able to aim it accurately each time. Her fingers were beginning to ache and blister while her shoulder was cramping up from the repetitiveness. Still Annie walked over to the tree to once again pull out her arrow; it was then she noticed how much sap was leaking out of the poor tree. Looking up towards the sky Annie was amazed to see that it was now mid-morning "how in the world did it get this late?"

Almost immediately after finishing her thoughts Illumous clattered to the ground; almost as a cry for attention. Annie whipped around in response and jogged over to the constantly glowing sword, cradling it in her arms as she inspected the seemingly vulnerable cross guard. There wasn't a mark anywhere on the sword and Annie let out a sigh of relief. Even though it was a legendary blade she couldn't help but fret over it. Reluctantly she strapped Illumous over her shoulder remembering the weight, then drew the sword its self. For a moment she stood there, and conjured images of people fighting and moving with swords. She held the most familiar movements and stances in her mind and did her best to recreate them. Again she was amazed by how the sword felt like it was a piece of her when she held it in her hands. Annie swung Illumous around herself in wide arches, familiarizing herself with how the blade moved and sliced through the air. She imagined bulbins plus other monsters and awkwardly cut through them in mock fights Annie was sure she would lose in reality. She cut through countless enemies for what must have been hours. Eventually Annie paused and looked at the sword. It was almost as if something about the sword had changed in the time she had been using it; it felt like it had shaped its self to fit Annie even better. "It's just a sword " dismissing the thought that Illumous could have somehow changed. She couldn't figure out what made it so special, all the time she had been practicing it hadn't exhibited any special traits; it didn't glow blue when monsters where around or spew fire when she swung it, guess she would just have to wait and see.

Just then her stomach growled angrily at her, which made her realize just how hungry she actually was. Suppressing the urge to look down at her wrist, Annie looked up at the sun; only to find it was past noon now. Annie was shocked by how much time had passed and quickly grabbed her bow, sheathed Illumous and made her way out of the cemetery. Once she was sure she was past any graves she broke into a slight trot, praying there would be food at the Inn. When she finally came out by the sanctuary it was almost as if someone had pulled a mental E-brake, and almost fell flat on her face. Talo, Beth, and Collin were outside the sanctuary talking to each other. "King Bulbin…he's…."

Annie felt them coming before she ever saw them, she could feel the earth shaking with the force of the stampeding giant boar that his party road upon. "I'm going to make a difference this time" she growled and sprinted over to the young children. "COME ON!" Annie yelled, as she grabbed Beth and Talo. "You to, Collin come on! We have to get out of here!" She made no attempt to hide the urgency in her voice, hoping it would cause the children to move faster.

"What's going on?" All three said in tandem.

"Can't you feel that?" Annie barked, simultaneously shoving Beth and Talo through the door of the sanctuary before they could reply. Collin stopped and looked down at his feet finally feeling the vibrations; worry crossed his face in a way that made him look much older than he was. He looked back at her " Oh no you don't." She said grabbing his arm "You're going into the sanctuary where you'll be safe."

"What about you?" He whispered.

"I'll be fine….now in get in the sanctuary!"

Just then King Bulbin rounded the corner. There was no way she was going to try and hide in the sanctuary. They would just follow her in and capture all the children. So Annie trotted over a few paces so that she could see down the center of town, nocked an arrow, and waited. She stood there solid as stone until they were half way through town, only then did she let loose the arrow; she wanted to have a fair chance of hitting them. But it flew past King Bulbins arm harmlessly; it had been a mistake to wait for them to get close, but she had realized it too late. Again she nocked another arrow not knowing what she hoped to accomplish by it; they were a couple hundred yards or so away now, and before she could fire her arrow she blacked out, whether from pure adrenalin or terror she would never know.

When Annie finally woke she swore vehemently until she used up her entire, colorful vocabulary. Her face hurt and she could feel hot liquid running down her face from her nose "Great….I literally fell flat on my face." She was tied to the top of the pole, and continuously bashed her head against it due to the boar's jerky strides. Annie wasn't particularly excited to kill any of the inhabitants of Hyrule be it monster or not, but Annie at this moment wished she could run King Bulbin through for this. Smiling viciously she spat the blood that was running down into her mouth down and in front of her; hoping it would hit him in the face. "Speaking of swords…" she squirmed against the ropes in an attempt to feel if she still had Illumous and her bow. Annie could still feel Illumous in its sheath but not her bow "Must have dropped it back in Kakariko….hope someone picks it up." Quickly she checked to make sure nothing was broken; she was fine except the tight ropes made it difficult to breathe, and her nose, which she didn't know if she had broken or not. The ropes were giving her nasty rope burns already and they were only a short way into Hyrule field and Annie prayed Link would come, and come soon.


	7. Shoes Filled

**Shoes filled**

Annie's head wasn't tied to the pole but she wished it had been. Her head was continuously bashed against it, but she worried if she tried to avoid it her neck would snap from the whiplash. Not to mention the blood still running down her face from her nose was being spread across her face, making it hard to see. She couldn't believe that Collin had endured this; there was nothing she could compare it to. The closest thing she could think of was getting whipped with a foot thick pole, which was basically what was happening. "Dang…that kid's stronger than I realized." Annie had a new found respect for the young boy; she didn't know how much longer she could put up with this. Even on her empty stomach she felt like she might vomit, and did her best to avoid it; not wanting to mix that with the blood, which was bad enough on its own. When they had reached the middle of the field Annie heard a noise behind them, a commotion of some sort; but didn't dare to try and look back to see what was going on. Soon the boar jerked violently to the right, snapping her neck in another direction that she hadn't been prepared for and she cursed silently.

Looking down Annie saw Link upon Epona weaving away from king bulbin after his jab at him. He stole a quick glance up at her and his expression turned form worry to shock then back to worry again. "Just great…. I must look awesome" thought Annie with bitter sarcasm. He must have pushed Epona hard to catch up with the king because he began to drift back into the pack of bulbins and boars trailing behind her; he quickly reverted to his fighting once they had encircled him.

It took no time at all for the five or six mounted bulbins to enclose Link and Epona, and within the circle of monster and man, horse and boar; the mind numbing fighting began. He was drastically outnumbered, yet he was not concerned by this. The enemies with weapons only had bows and arrows while he had a sword; and even though it was an unremarkable blade made by Rusl in his home town of Ordon, it seemed to sing through the air and bite at his enemies with enthusiasm and vigor. Or was it his own? He wasn't quite sure, but made a point to not enjoy the killing, only the excitement of battle. He swung the sword in a semicircle around himself and cut down four bulbins; then did the same on his other side to rid himself of their presence, and with their riders gone the boars dispersed in random directions.

When the pathway was finally clear he spurred Epona lightly in the sides and guided her parallel to the blue boar. Almost unperceptively he jabbed the king just under his ribs, causing him to begin bleeding though Link knew it was minor. A few more slashes and a few more minor wounds and the king blew his horn to call for more back up. It was a repeating process that Link was growing frustratingly tired with. Before the new wave of bodyguards showed up he stole another glace at Annie, who claimed to be a seer. Most of her face was beginning to darken and form a nasty bruise down most of the side of her face that he could see; and the blood still streaming down her face from her now crocked nose did nothing to help her appearance at the moment. He didn't care though; she was alive.

Again mounted bulbins encircled him and Epona, and he began to dispatch them just as quickly as they had come; yet unbeknownst to him a bulbin out of his line of focus was attempting to attack Epona, hoping to get rid of Link in that way. The only thing that made him aware of this and broke into his fighting revere was Epona side stepping away from the onslaught underneath him. This brought out a rage within him that was rarely seen by anyone, and to a certain degree surprised even him. He wasted no time dispatching this foe, he brought his sword up; twisted his wrist and let the motion of his arm aim the sword just above its shoulders. The blade cut through him smoothly, severing his head and leaving the body twitching, still trying to function falling to the ground.

Now that he was free yet again he spurred Epona up to king bulbin and slashed at him yet again, this time not pausing to glace up at Annie. Though instead of calling for more back up the king broke away from the tired horse and her hero and made for Eldins bridge; presumably to make his escape.

"Finally!" said Annie somewhat frustrated. She was going to have a huge lump on the back of her head, and when King bulbin jumped the picket fence onto Eldin bridge she felt premature relief. She had no way of knowing if Link would prevail though, there was no telling how her presence would affect this world and what happened within it. She couldn't help but wonder how her taking Collins place would affect him. Or she did her best to; it was getting harder and harder to think. When the King reached the other end of the bridge he surprised Link but not Annie, by turning around to face him. Promptly, both exits were lit on fire preventing both steeds from escaping; forcing the two enemies to face one another, in their own version of jousting.

Neither wasted any time charging at the other, and just by Link's expression Annie could tell he was out for blood and was filled with rage. Though these things barely registered, her mental acuity was decreasing with every passing moment; to the point where she had to fight to keep herself conscious. When they met it was Link who landed the first blow, and it caused Annie to be jerked hard to one side, and it was this that frightened her; even with her dulled senses. There was nothing appealing to being dangled over the side of bridge thousands of feet from the ground; but the King soon fixed himself back into his saddle and turned his mount around once again, generally unfazed from the blow.

Annie's head began to sag, and her eyes became heavy and unwilling to respond to her mental commands to stay open. She was afraid if she fell asleep she might not wake up again due to a severe concussion or something similar. Her mind seemed to separate from her body and the pain began to dull, and she was only barely aware of it at the far reaches of her own consciousness. Annie saw almost everything, but as if she was viewing it through stop motion with a considerable amount of missing pictures.

At that moment the two enemies collided and blows were given and received, though who was on the receiving end Annie didn't know. Although seconds later she was jerked once again to the side, this eventually told her that Link had managed to strike him; though she had no way of knowing if the King had struck Link. The king leaned hard to one side, and did not immediately recover from the injury as he had before; but in Annie's condition she couldn't even work up the energy to hope the ordeal was over. The boar without the guidance of its rider wandered from side to side jerking Annie even more due to its full on run. The ropes holding her to pole had begun to cut deep into the sides of her arms, wearing off the skin and leaving miniature rivers of blood raging down her arms towards her fingertips. She was definitely going to feel this in the morning; that is, if she made it to the next morning. Soon though King bulbin righted himself and set off in the other direction to face Link once again; though the boar weaved and swerved on the narrow bridge, due to his masters now unsteady hand.

Link on the other hand was desperately trying to get himself back into the saddle after being knocked out of it by the King. He was franticly trying to get a solid hold on the saddle, while he hung precariously close to the edge of the bridge; all the while Epona was still moving at a considerable pace toward the other end of the bridge. Yet King bulbin had gotten a head start on the hero, he had already turned around and was charging back towards him in an attempt to catch Link before he could gain his composure. Annie tried to warn him but no sound came out of her mouth, nothing seemed to obey her command; all she could do was watch and wonder if the life of the hero of time would end here because her. But when Link and Epona reached their end of the bridge Epona slowed due to the lack of room, and only then was Link able to heft himself back into the saddle; sensing danger he fixed his gaze on the King, and once again quickly turned Epona around face him. He spurred the horse hard in the sides though not cruelly; hoping to motivate the horse to put an extra burst of speed. It hurt him to injure the horse in any way, but this was a life and death situation; quite literally. This time though when they met it was different, Link full of adrenalin and self-preservation instincts let go of the reins, grabbed the sword with both hands and put every ounce of strength he had into the one blow. His strength seemed to flow from his arms into the sword and through the sword into the king, causing him to real as if struck by lightning. The mighty blow knocked him sprawling, out of his saddle; he landed hard against the stone, slid awkwardly for a short distance at which point his own body mass pulled him off of the edge of the bridge; much like a whale being beached but in reverse.

Link wasted no time savoring his victory and immediately redirected Epona to catch up with the wandering boar, which still had Annie attached to it via the pole. When they finally neared the boar he jumped to the ground beside it, carful to not spook it; and with a hand on the blue boars reins he look up at Annie, and wondered how he would get the girl down.

The next sensation Annie felt was that of pure ecstasy; she could feel a cool blanket covering her body. The touch of the cool blanket against her inflamed skin calmed her tortured mind; she was only conscious enough to know she was lay on a bed, and was laid out on her back. She tried to open her eyes yet she didn't seem to even have the energy to accomplish that. She heard nothing, but it did not matter; she relaxed for the first time in what felt like a life time, and was lulled back into unconsciousness by the wonderful sensation comfort.

When next she woke Annie felt like she had been body slammed; everything hurt and she could barely move. She felt very much like the Tin man in The Wizard of Oz before Dorothy oiled his joints; figuring it would be best to just get it over and done with she opened her eyes, only to find herself back in her room. Annie tried to move in an attempt to get up, but almost cried when she did; apparently she had been out for a while because all of her rope burns had scabbed over. There was also a quite large knot on the back of her head, along with severe soreness throughout her entire body. It didn't seem like anyone would be coming soon so she closed her eyes and hoped she would fall back asleep; though she felt it would be a long time before it would happen again.


	8. Ring of Fates

Ring of Fates

**I hope you all have been enjoying these recent chapters, and please don't forget to review and let me know how I'm doing. Again thanks for reading, and no one yet has given me the answers to the two reference's I made in a previous chapter so you still have time if you would like to see a character named after yourself :)**

Annie had no idea how much time passed as she lay there just looking at the ceiling, which was more interesting than she first thought. She followed the lines and grooves in the boards above her, like a maze Annie tried to find the origin of the lines. It was futile but entertaining none the less, and it helped her to focus her mind on something other than the constant ache that permeated her whole body. She wondered if she should try and get someone's attention but after a few moments of thought she decided against it; not wanting to exert herself more than necessary. Now that she was more conscious Annie noticed her arms lay on top of the blanket, and were wrapped in damp bandages; they were almost dry by now so she assumed someone would be along soon, and picked up where she had left off on the roof. While her eyes traced the lines her mind wandered randomly from thought to thought; from where Link was, to if he was even still here, or how she was going to eat her next meal without being able to move her arms.

Food.

That had been a mistake, and as soon as she thought of it her stomach growled viciously at her; she was unbelievably hungry. Annie wondered what that meant about how long she had been unconscious; it must have been more than day as far as Annie could tell, but she was no expert. Mere moments later the door of her room opened and Luda entered, carrying a plate with several things on it that Annie couldn't quite make out from her vantage point.

"It is good to see you awake" she said calmly, setting the plate down on the small desk to her right. "I brought you some soup" she smiled.

On the plate was a rag, a cup, and two bowls; Luda must have been there to change her bandages or to at least wet them, and to bring her food. "Thanks" said Annie hoarsely, and she blushed from the feeling of helplessness. Luda just smiled, and dipped the cloth in one of the bowls that apparently held only water; wrung it out and placed it on the bandages on her arms in turn. She had a practiced hand, and for one so young knew very much about caring for a patient. Annie began to speak to the young girl, but was promptly stopped.

"Don't; save your strength" Luda said tenderly. Annie just looked at her, wanting answers but knowing in the back of her mind that she was right. She needed to relax, and to heal. Luda began to wet the bandages on her one of her arms with the damp towel; she dabbed it a few times to make sure the whole thing was wet then let it sit there. While waiting for the bandages to completely soak through, the young girl began to spoon some of the soup into Annie's mouth. It wasn't the best soup ever, but it was warm food; and its warmth spread through her whole body, bringing energy back into her limbs. She sighed audibly, enjoying the warming sensation; while constantly consuming more of the soup, almost hoping the sensation would increase with each spoon full. Annie hardly noticed her move the cloth to the other arm; and when the soup was finished she closed her eyes and smiled.

"You're lucky, you know" stated Luda "Your injuries could have been much worse."

If this was lucky, Annie didn't even want to ponder worse, and her smile quickly faded; it had been meant as encouragement, but it terrified her for some unknown reason. Just thinking about the ordeal made her hurt; so she changed the subject "Is Link still here?" inquired Annie, the warm soup had apparently reawakened her ability to speak.

"We thought it best to let you rest in peace" stated the young girl "Without visitors. Though he's been waiting to see if you would regain consciousness; would you like me to send him in?"

"ummmm…."

"I'll just tell him your awake" smiled Luda "he'd probably come in any way." She then gathered everything that she had come in with, and placed them on the tray and stood. "I'll be back in a few hours with new bandages and more food" and then turned and left the way she had come; leaving Annie alone with her own thoughts.

"He really waited?" She had in no way expected that, she had figured he would have already made his way into the Goron's mine. Something about that thought though reminded her of something very important, that she had managed to forget; two something's actually. Franticly Annie searched the room for Illumous and the bow, a little too fast; which caused stars to float through her field of vision. After a few panicked minutes she eventually located both of her weapons on the left-hand side of her bed. She was relieved someone had found the bow, and recognized it as hers; Annie didn't have a clue what she would do without it, literally die probably. Annie looked about the room, wondering what to do; she hated not being able to do anything, or go anywhere.

Again the door opened though this time the green clad hero entered the room tentatively; in stark contrast to his usual confident and determined self. He shut the door behind him, but hovered close the closed door; as if to stay near the only exit in case something went badly, and he needed a quick escape. Annie wasn't sure if this was a habitual tendency or a purposeful gesture to give her some space. After a few moments of awkward stares, Links eye drifted to the angelic wings of Illumous; he looked back to Annie with a raised eyebrow and a drilling yet not unkind stare. Annie wasn't sure what she should say, or how much she should reveal to the Hero; but then again they shared a similar fate, and it made her want to tell him everything, if only to find some comfort in a kindred spirit.

By the time she had finished Annie found herself sobbing for reasons she wasn't quite sure of herself. It had taken her a while to tell her story, but Links expression softened with understanding and compassion as he moved closer to comfort her as best he could. It didn't seem to help much, but the emotional outburst dissipated as soon as it had begun. Quickly her cheeks turned red from embarrassment, but Link just smiled. Annie wished she could move, or at least be able to do something. Anything to make the conversation less awkward and one sided, but Annie was glad he understood; and that he didn't ask any more questions. Link walked over to where Illumous rested against the wall, and let his hand hover above the pummel; he looked back at her leaving his hand in place. "Go ahead" answered Annie.

Link lowered his hand to grasp the sword, but as soon as his hand was within half an inch of the pommel light shot out from the very end of the sword and enveloped his hand. Immediately his whole body writhed and contorted as if receiving a strong electrical shock, and he fell to the floor; it all happened in seconds, but it seemed to happen in slow motion to Annie. "What…just..happened….." asked Annie without expecting an answer, with a look of amazement and shock one her face. Link still lay on the floor twitching slightly, after a few tense minutes though link regained control of his body and sat up; just as Luda burst into the room.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" she almost screamed; startling Annie slightly.

Link just shook head, while Annie just said "Everything is alright." Luda didn't seem convinced of this but left the room obviously irritated any way. Soon after Link stood; though a little shakily, nodded to Annie and also left. Annie stared apologetically at the door and wondered if something between her and Link had been ruined. Now Annie was alone again though she really didn't mind this time, but wondered who had carried the sword up to her room and wondered how they got it up there; without suffering the same fate as Link had. The only answer she could come up with is that they had held on to the sheath. Annie filed this event away into her memory; she had an idea that could prove to be useful in the future; especially in close combat.


	9. Shadows that Shine

**Shadows that Shine**

**AN: Dang _ I've been on a writing mission lately. Hope the speed at which I've been writing hasn't affected the quality. As always I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and don't forget to review! **

In the days following, Annie recovered quickly and was soon able to walk and get around by herself. She was restricted from any strenuous activities, but it was not something that she ended up worrying too much about; and successfully managed to entertain herself without causing any more damage to her healing wounds. Link had stayed in town to better equip himself for the trip up to the Goron's mine, so she often times saw him; and since he had learned of Annie's fate, in his spare moments he sparred with her to help her swordsman ship increase.

This was one such moment, in the days before hand Link had worked with Annie's footwork and they now danced around one another on the platform above the graveyard. Link lessened the strength behind his blows but only slightly in order to preserve some realism in the mock battle. They both made a point to avoid striking one another as to avoid causing unintentional harm to one another; it would be hard to save the world being already broken from sparing. Annie 'died' continuously and swiftly, usually within minutes; but today was different. She had worked with Link almost every day and progressed at an alarming and extremely rapid rate. They started each session with the ends of their swords touching, and circled each other for a few brief moments and it was Annie who attacked first; she twisted around on her heals in a complete circle and made an attempt at his left side, hoping the pirouette would distract him for a few seconds. It didn't, Illumous was parried away as if it had a mind of its own and had changed its mind on the direction of travel; Illumous was jerked violently up into the air but Annie held on with all her strength, making it a point to treat this fight as if it was real. She planted her feet and let the sword pick up momentum and travel as far as her arm would let the ethereal sword; at the point where the sword hovered in the air momentarily free from gravity, she pulled down the sword towards Links shoulder. Link this time was hard pressed to deflect the blow; and at the last second his reflexes managed to deflect it.

They both returned their blades to a ready position and once again circled each other, looking for the slightest opening. Annie was beginning tire; but she would not let her guard down until Link had done the same to call the match, she had learned that lesson very early in her training. Within seconds Link attempted to deliver a blow to Annie's unguarded hip, he was confident in her ability to parry the blow, so he restricted himself less and less. Annie dipped the nose of her blade like that of a sinking ship to catch Links; his blade slid cleanly down the length of Illumous only to be caught between the blade and one of the golden wings. Annie recognized the opportunity immediately and twisted and shoved against Link on the other end, in an attempt to separate him from his sword. Link however was just as stubborn about not losing hold of his sword, and fought to make Annie lose hold of hers just as hard as she was. Neither of them could break the others hold and through unspoken consent they both relaxed and Annie released Links sword.

Link then stepped back out of Annie's reach, sheathed his sword and nodded. This Annie had come to learn, meant that she had improved even more and had performed well; he did this increasingly, though there had been bouts in which she had failed miserably. He stuck out his hand for her to shake this time, which was a completely new gesture to Annie; she shook his hand and he headed back towards town, leaving her there alone. Annie wondered if she had 'graduated' from her swordsmanship lessons; there was no way to tell for certain at the moment so she shrugged it off and headed back towards town as well.

Annie found Link standing outside the sanctuary with Epona at his side; when he noticed Annie Link beckoned her over to him, and Annie quickly heeded his request. As soon as she came close he handed Epona's reins to her, Annie was dumb struck; she had no idea what to say or do. All that she managed was feeble "why?" While Link just shrugged nonchalantly; Annie guessed it meant 'just in case.'

"Thanks" she stammered "Where are you going now?" Link turned and glanced at the Goron's mine, which didn't surprise Annie at all. It was then that he walked off to purge the mines of the evil that lay within them, in moments he disappeared from her sight and yet again she was alone. Epona gently nudged her shoulder and Annie let the horse roam where ever she pleased, she would always come back, and she knew how to call her so Annie wasn't worried. Annie turned to open the door to the sanctuary but stopped dead in her tracks, she had seen something strange out of the corner of her eye. It had looked like a black mass floating above the ground. When Annie turned she saw a small mass coming down the path towards her, Annie's mind immediately raced trying to think of what this was and how to kill it if need be, but she couldn't think of anything and just blanked; she ended up staring at it like a deer blinded by the headlights of a car. It came upon her astonishingly quick and soon hovered in front of her several feet off the ground; after a few tense seconds it began to writhe and expanded upon its original mass. It soon took the shape of a human being, and then proceeded to gain further and more defining features; her own in fact, it was as if she was staring back at a perfect copy of herself but entirely pitch black with no other coloration. The copy of Annie even held a sword similar in shape to Illumous; there was no way anything good would come from this, and Annie decided it was best to end this strange creation with her new found skills.

Annie grabbed Illumous's hilt with the accuracy and speed of a viper, and lunged forward with a sweeping sideways slash meant to tear open her opponent from shoulder to hip. However she was astonished when the blade of Illmous met the dark copy of itself, Annie swore they had met exactly half way between the two; and she immediately felt the energy of the clash find its way into her arms turning them to jelly. Annie quickly with drew in order to give her arms a momentary respite, after a few seconds she fainted towards a blow to the knees, then twisted her arm so the sword then aimed for its head. But her doppelganger was attempting the same maneuver which forced Annie to defend herself so as not to be decapitated as well.

Again Annie backed away from her double to give herself some breathing room. Annie this time decided to think out her movements instead of attacking without watching her opponent. She soon found everything she did mirrored by the doppelganger, she wondered how she would defeat her if everything she did was exactly and perfectly copied. Annie began to circle around the dark copy of her to buy more time; she needed a plan that wouldn't also involve her dying. She slowed down her movements and watched more carefully, attempting to gain some knowledge of how her opponent worked and fought. Annie attempted a jab at the dark girls sword arm hoping to cause some damage even if only minor. But again their weapons met, pushing each other away from the fight. Every move Annie made was being copied, and if it wasn't perfectly; the difference was unperceivable by a human being. Fighting with Illumous was not working; Annie was making no progress with it and so decided to resort to her other weapon of choice. Annie carefully sheathed the sword, while watching her dark double like a hawk; constantly searching for any movement that would give away its intent. However it did nothing; it remained in the same pose staring at her, with intelligence or not had yet to be determined. For the first time since the mass had taken her form it didn't copy her actions, carefully Annie drew her bow waiting for another to appear opposite to her, but nothing happened; and this seriously concerned Annie. Slowly and tentatively Annie nocked an arrow and pulled hard against the string, she hesitated a moment not knowing what to expect from her seemingly static opponent. Annie watched her dark copy for a moment longer, wondering if this was really a good idea; something felt very wrong but she was already committed, and let her arrow fly.

The arrow flew exactly where Annie had intended it to, however her dark double launched its self over it with an inhuman leap. When it landed Annie felt the reverberations through the ground, meaning it was much heavier than it looked. Seconds after her dark self hit the ground it entered a horizontal sprint toward Annie; she guessed the game of copycat was over, but still she watched carefully not wanting to die from an assumption. Annie planted her feet firmly into the ground and swapped her bow for Illumous, and prepared for the oncoming impact. The collision was intense and violent, their blades met and Annie was almost knocked off her feet by the momentum alone; but still she stood, and Annie twisted her sword in attempt to throw the still moving doppelganger to the ground. But the move only sent her dark self in another direction, which immediately countered with a wide arced swing towards Annie; like she had before with Link Annie drove the end of Illumous towards the ground to catch the coming blade. As soon as she was confident in her hold of the dark blade Annie reefed both skyward; as soon as she was able to, she released her hold and quickly put some space in between herself and her opponent. She needed a breather, and was running out of energy to fight off this abomination.

Once again her dark self charged at her, Annie gnashed her teeth preparing for the coming blow. Though this time she planned to be the first to attack and waited for the perfect moment to arrive. Once the abomination was within twenty or so feet, Annie also charged; directly challenging it for the first time, she raised Illumous and prepared to deliver a mighty blow, but all her sword met was the empty air as she stumbled to gain her footing. The dark Annie had resumed its previous form, in which it was much faster and attached its self to the real Annie within seconds. Annie's blood curdled and her skin crawled as the black mass began to cover her entire body, Annie was frozen in place by some unseen force; unable to move as it spread, beginning to envelop her entire body. She tried desperately to cut away the mass, but it constricted around her neck with an amazing amount of hidden strength; her eyes rolled and she screamed mentally, unable to move her mouth now. The mass quickly expanded down her sword arm, almost eager to come in contact with the legendary blade; but as soon as it reached where her skin began to touch it, white rays angrily sprung from the blade once again. This time much more forceful and infinitely brighter, they enveloped her whole body; and she fell to the ground from the force of it, and lack of air.

When Annie opened her eyes the ground was smoldering while small wisps of smoke or steam drifted into the sky; much of the plant life within a few feet was also charred and blackened from the intensity of what ever had happened. She greedily gasped for the sweet air, her whole body hurt; her neck most of all. She lay there gasping and coughing for a time; eventually Annie was able absorb enough air to push herself to her feet and retrieve Illumous. She wondered what had become of the dark mass; and hoped it had been eradicated, but there was no way to tell either way. At the moment though Annie didn't care and headed back towards the inn stiffly; she was in desperate need of some serious rest, physically and emotionally.


	10. Worthwhile Mistakes

Worthwhile mistakes

**An: phew….sorry this took so long. I've had so much going on with school and other things; my time for writing was cut down severally. As always enjoy and review!**

Annie wished she had been able to follow Link into the mines. But it was not possible for her to, until recently she had been unable to defend herself with any skill; and even if she had been ready to enter the temple, she would not have made it far without iron boots like Links. She realized these things all far too late, as she lay sprawled across her bed; wide awake in the middle of the night. She hadn't been able to sleep for a long time now, each night her dark self crept through her dreams; it felt to her like that was where the dark mass had escaped to, her dreams and her mind. While awake her dark self was but a whisper of a memory, but as she entered sleep her shadow became her nightmare; only allowing her a few hours of sleep each night.

So she lay on her back thinking of what ever happened to cross her mind, while tracing the lines in the ceiling like she had done after king bulbin kidnapped her. Tonight though Annie felt restless, she couldn't just stay in her room like she had been, so she grabbed her weapons and quietly slipped out of the building. There was no particular direction or place she was headed, Annie just wandered where ever her feet happened to take her. The moon was full and the air cool, soothing her mind and relaxing her body. Many times when she had been stressed or troubled Annie would walk through the wilderness around her home, and she hoped a walk through Hyrule would work as well as it had in the past.

Annie did not head towards the cemetery like she had so many times before, but towards Hyrule field. She knew it was dangerous but she needed to be out in the wilderness, not in the small town; at the moment it held far too many bad memories that she needed to get away from, and the possibility of a minor battle could help to distract her from her own thoughts. Even at night the field was full of monsters and various other types of life. Within seconds she had surveyed what she could see of the field and had begun thinking of the best way to navigate through it. And it surprised her how much more aware of her surroundings she was now, compared to when she first entered Hyrule; looking back it was astounding how much of a difference there was between then and now, and what she could accomplish on her own without the help of Link. It felt wonderful to be outside in the wilderness, out of the houses and sharp angles of humanity; and into the gentle curves of nature, but she was still mindful of the various monsters lurking around. Annie had no idea where she was going, or if she wanted to go back to Kakariko so she called Epona; not wanting to be stuck somewhere without a way to escape. Annie had a feeling that tonight she would end up much farther from Kakariko than she had originally planned, and Epona soon appeared so she walked through the night with a hand on the horse's reins and refused to think of anything stressful.

Everything was peaceful in the night; even most of the monsters were lethargic and made no move to attack her. It was moments like this that she wished could last forever; there were no epic battles for her to fight, no immediate problems to deal with, and nothing expected of her at the moment. As Eldin's bridge came into view Annie climbed up into the saddle, trusting the horse more than herself to not fall of the edge; and only loosely guided the horse towards the bridge, allowing Epona to partially choose her own path.

As they crossed the great bridge Annie couldn't help but gape at the shear depth of the canyon and its grandeur. She could barely remember her first real visit here, and to be honest Annie didn't really want to either; she had only vague memories of what it was like and what it felt like to be so high above the ground. It was much like what she imagined the Grand Canyon was like, only you couldn't see the bottom even on the sunniest of days. Annie wondered what kind of creatures lived at the bottom, and if it was like the creatures that lived at the bottom of the ocean. Strange and foreign to everyone who lived in Hyrule, she almost wished it was possible to visit the floor of the canyon so she could find out.

Eventually though Annie returned her focus to where she was currently headed, and she half expected the road to be blocked by some sort of rock slide. But to her surprise it wasn't, so Annie steered Epona towards the opening and let herself relax; she leaned back against the rolled up supplies and the back of the saddle, closed her eyes and let Epona find her own way. Annie focused on what she could feel and hear, there wasn't much to see in the shallow fissure; so she allowed herself the possibility of long needed sleep. It was amazing how much better she felt, and how much of a difference the fresh air made in her mood.

The next sensation she felt was that of weightlessness, immediately followed by severe pain. Annie must have fallen asleep because even with the pain it took her a while to register these things; there were a few noises off to her side, which caused her to panic more than anything else. And when Annie opened her eyes Epona was nowhere to be seen, and she was being fired at from above; she took a 5 second inventory of what she still had with her, and rolled to the side trying to avoid another volley of arrows. As soon as she was out of the way Annie grabbed her bow and tried to nock an arrow as fast she could manage; but she fumbled with the arrow on account of her own nervousness, and it occurred to her that she only had a few arrows left. Not enough to finish all of the bulbins on the ridge.

She fired a couple arrows into the group of enemies, but she wasted no time trying to discern if she had killed any of them; and instead tried to seek shelter from the angry volley aimed at her. If she had killed any, it hadn't made any difference so there was no need to give it another thought. So Annie ran; looking for any place to escape into, and would provide a respite from her attackers. But Annie hadn't the slightest clue as to where she was, or which direction she was now running; there was no way to tell if Epona had turned around and headed back towards Kakariko and her master. As she ran though the amount of arrows being fired never changed, bulbins were lined up on the top of the fissure seemingly the whole way; and she began to panic. There was no way she would realistically be able to dodge that many arrows for an extended amount of time.

She frantically searched for any kind of alcove that would provide decent cover, but there always seemed to be a bulbin directly above them. Her legs were starting to burn, and her lungs felt like they were on fire; but she pushed her self-onwards determined not to die in such a sad way. Annie made herself think of it, and imagine how it would end if she collapsed here and now; she was willing to try anything in order to keep herself moving.

She could see it now; she saw herself dropping into a pile, coughing and gasping for air. While also attempting to pull herself away from the arrows that would undoubtedly be getting close to hitting their mark; and then she saw herself splayed across the dirt, with a myriad of arrows penetrating her body. The image caused Annie to gag, and she pushed the thought aside before she ended up choking on her own vomit. It was then that Annie spotted a small cave off to her right; she meant to jump the small ledge in front of the entrance, but she ended up falling into it instead.

She was tempted to just lie there, but Annie was sure the bulbins would still be able to hit her from this angle. So she pulled herself to her feet and made her way into the cave, as far as she could tell it only had one tunnel; if it was a dead end and the bulbins decided to follow her, she could be worse off than she was originally. So she hurried to find another branch in the cave, or where ever it happened to exit.

Annie was amazed when she came to the end of the cave, and now found herself in a rundown town; and it took her a few moments to realize exactly where she was. She was in the hidden village, but looking back Annie wasn't sure if she was any safer here. It was slightly harder to see in the village due to the rock walls surrounding the whole town, and she crept to the closest thing providing any kind of cover, which was the broken sign identifying the town. Annie sat there for a while, catching her breath and also looking and listening for any of the bulbins that were supposed to be there. After her breathing had quieted enough for her to actually hear, it was strangely quiet; she had expected to hear the yelps and hollers of multiple bulbins, but it was silent; finally. Annie relaxed against the pole, utterly exhausted; it was an idiotic decision but she had no intention of moving for a while. She didn't care if the bulbins came after her, she was in desperate need of sleep and she was going to die happy if it came to that.


	11. Healing Hearts

**Healing Hearts**

**An: So because im graduating high school this year and then going on to college in the fall, I may be busy over the next few weeks with AP courses and such. So I apologize if the chapter after this one takes a while. But I will continue to write until the story is finished so no worries! It just may take longer than usual, but as always thank you all for reading this story and for your reviews. They mean a lot to me. **

When Annie woke she was immediately perplexed, even without opening her eyes she could discern two things from her surroundings. The first was that she was now in a bed, and the second was that there were many cats; far more than should have been in the house. She could tell these things from the number of animals that jumped up on her bed, and then were pushed off by another looking for a place to be comfortable. This information disheartened Annie though, because all these things together meant that she was not in Kakariko; where at least she would have been at least somewhat safe.

When Annie lifted herself out of the bed she found herself within a fairly sizeable home in Hyrule's standards, along with the plethora of cats, and the a small old lady whom could only have been Impaz. There was a pot over a fire, and the walls of the house was crowded with shelves of books and scrolls; filled with what Annie guessed was extremely important information. If Annie remembered correctly she was the only living resident left in the hidden village, and the only member left of the proud shiekah tribe; who were once tasked with guarding the royal family. The house was what some would call cluttered and cramped, but it had a welcoming air to it that seemed to help calm Annie. Impaz seemed upset, and she guessed the bulbins had invaded the town because of her; which probably didn't put Annie in good standing with the older lady.

"It's good to see you awake. For a while I thought you wouldn't; I thought they might have gotten to you before I did…." said Impaz with sadness in her voice. She was working the pot over a fire, in which Annie presumed was some kind of soup based on the way she stirred it.

"Thanks….ummm….do you know what happened to my stuff?" At the very least Annie hoped Illumous was somewhere close; there was no way she would survive without it, and no way she could ever forgive herself for losing it.

"Do not worry child, all of your things are underneath the bed there." And she pointed beneath where Annie sat.

Within seconds Annie had grabbed her bow and Illumous from under the bed, slung the bow over her shoulder and strapped the now familiar weight of the sword onto her back. Annie thanked Impaz for taking her in and made for the door, only to be stopped by the older woman.

"Stay. You need something to eat; plus it's dangerous out there, and I'm not sure you know just how heavy that sword you carry is" stated Impaz while pointing towards her back with her stirring spoon.

Annie was completely dumb struck; she had thought that the only beings in all of Hyrule that knew about the sword were the light spirits. There was no way it could have been mistaken for any other sword, so she sat back on the bed and watched Impaz cook. One of the cats jumped on the bed beside her then, and began purring; she stroked the cat, a calico; and thought about what Impaz was going to tell her. But when she was silent Annie could wait no longer.

"So…..how did you know about the sword?" Asked Annie; she wanted to know how much Impaz knew about it before she accidently revealed something important. Annie didn't want the fabric of the universe to unwind because she said too much about the golden sword. That of course was a slightly exaggerated situation but she avoided saying anything first just in case.

"I know of a great many things; most of which have been forgotten through the ages….it's sad that so much has been lost; but alas that is neither here nor there. Some of those things are relevant to you, but most are not. And to prove I know of these things, the swords name is Illumous and you received it from a spirit correct?" Annie was astounded, she knew that Impaz knew a lot more about Hyrules past than any other person; but she had no idea she knew so much about the sword.

"How…..?" Was all Annie could manage to get out, betraying the fact that she was extremely surprised by what she had just heard. Nothing at this point should have surprised her, but things kept happening that blew her mind. Plus she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to hear what Impaz was going tell her; whatever it was she had a feeling it wouldnt be something she would like. The calico cat which had curled up in her lap, now yowled in distress; and only then did Annie realize she had been squeezing the cat without noticing it, and it promptly fled her grasp.

Impaz finally turned around to face Annie and smiled, then handed her a bowl of the soup she had been cooking. "Here; eat first….. before we get into such heavy matters." But as soon as the soup was passed to Annie she was bombarded with the pleading eyes and soft begging 'mews' of to many cats to count. Annie had to lift her bowl over her head in order to keep the cats from getting into it; and she couldn't help but laugh, she hadn't in a long time; and was unable to remember when it had been. Impaz quickly shooed the cats away apologizing for their bad behavior, and ladled out a bowl of soup for herself; and made an attempt to chase away any cats that got too close to Annie so she could eat in peace.

When they had finished Impaz sat her bowl on the floor for the cats, and Annie did the same; both of which were immediately swarmed by the many hungry cats. "I must apologize for their behavior; they're restless from being cooped up in the house for so long" Stated Impaz with a smile.

"It's ok" replied Annie suppressing more laughter "They kind of make everything seem less serious."

"Indeed." Agreed Impaz nodding her head; while she began pulling down and looking for books and scrolls. Annie guessed that meant it was time to get into the heavy stuff; the things that could mean life or death for her, and could determine if she would succeed or fail all of Hyrule. That thought made Annie shudder, having an entire country and civilization depending on you took a toll on the mind and body; so she tried not to think about it as much as she could. It was then that Impaz returned with the necessary information and sat down across from her.

"First let's start with some review if you don't mind"

"I don't mind" replied Annie "it couldn't hurt any."

"I will make it short, time is precious; and it's slipping away from us" Stated Impaz bluntly "Illumous was created by the goddesses in response to an unimaginable evil that the first hero of time could not defeat himself. Ever since then it has been guarded by the spirits to prevent the sword from falling into the wrong hands; and I am sure you have discovered some of its many unusual, yet powerful qualities." At that point Impaz paused and waited for Annie's conformation that she understood up to that point, and Annie promptly nodded in affirmation; and so Impaz continued telling her of Hyrules past and its present.

"So naturally that would mean that Illumous has chosen you as its master, and you who will wield it against the great evil. Now that you are its master no other being in all of Hyrule is able to touch it; much like no evil can touch the master sword. But as the sword is today its full potential has not been awakened; and to defeat this coming evil you must do so."

"How exactly do I do that?" inquired Annie, becoming somewhat skeptical of the older lady.

"According to the ancient texts…each of the four light spirits will add a small piece of their power to the sword. But that is not all you must do, you must also find the three sacred fires to awaken it's true potential; the red fire of power, the green of courage, and the blue fire of wisdom." Impaz paused for a long while, and then proceeded to pick up the bowls from the floor and wash them in another pot near the fire; which puzzled Annie greatly.

"Uuuuuhhh….how?" Asked Annie completely confused.

"Hmmm…?" Replied Impaz giving Annie her attention once again, but back to her still washing the bowls; the conversation about Illumous seemed to be over to Annie which was odd to her, so little had been said that she didn't already know.

"How do I find the fires?" She inquired yet again.

"All that is said in the scrolls and legends is that you WILL find them; they do not say how or where they are."

Annie just sighed. They were just more things to worry about, more things on her mind, and something else that would probably lead to more near death experiences. She couldn't understand how she was expected to find the three fires when no one had any clue as to where they were, or how to obtain them; from Annie's point of view she seemed destined to fail from the very start.

Suddenly Impaz lifted Annies head up by the chin "Do not despair child…I know you have been through much; but the sword has chosen you for a reason, which is a great honor. The sword will protect you but you must have confidence and courage."

"Wha…" Pleaded Annie now near tears "What will happen…if I can't find them?"

Impaz's expression saddened, and Annie knew what she was going to say before she did; but Annie waited for her to say it none the less. "I do not know….but to defeat the evil that even the goddesses and Illumous are not sure Link can; it would be in your best interest to have the sword as powerful as possible."

"You…you talk about Illumous as if it's alive; as if it's a living thing" Stated Annie regaining some of her composure, though it was more of question than statement. She wiped away the late tears that only now started running down her face, while she waited for her answer.

"If something has a mind of its own, wouldn't you say it was alive?" winked Impaz playfully "Now if you don't mind, before you leave; how about you help me clean up a bit, to get your mind off of all these troubling things for a while?"

"Yeah, I think I'd like that" replied Annie with a smile beginning to spread across her face. The thought of cleaning and the mindless physical labor was, for once welcome to Annie; she needed to do something that would keep her from thinking, while also accomplishing something productive.

They cleaned and moved crates of things, stacked and ordered them; swept the floor, washed the walls and everything else under the sun they could think of doing. Occasionaly Annie would ask about certain scrolls and information, and Impaz would recount stories and old tales to her; which Annie found fascinating and entertaining at the same time. It felt like they only worked for a half hour or so, but when they finally decided to rest it was dark out, and the cries of the bulbins were louder and more frequent; and so Impaz offered Annie to stay another night before she left for Kakariko again. For the rest of the night through unspoken consent they worked on other small task and only talked of what they were doing; and for once in a long time, they both truly enjoyed themselves.


	12. A New Dawn

A New Dawn

When morning finally arrived, Annie still felt sore and somewhat tired from the cleaning she had done with Impaz. Looking at the house it didn't seem like much had been accomplished, the sheer amount of boxes and crates in the house were far more plentiful than Annie had imagined. Still she was thankful for the work, it had allowed her to escape her own fate briefly while also helping Impaz; who because of her short stature, would have been hard pressed to move what she had been able to. Annie regretted the fact that she would have to leave her alone once again, but after a few minutes of pondering she realized that wasn't entirely true.

From Annie's best guess she surmised that llia had not been here yet, but would most likely arrive soon. That knowledge was the only thing that made her want to leave, she didn't want to have any unforeseen effect on the girl and therefore change any pivotal moments in the near future. Annie soon pushed those thoughts out of her mind though and focused on the here and now, and ignored the ominous future as best she could.

Annie had managed to wake before Impaz, and judging by the amount of light coming through the windows it was still quite early in the morning. Many of the cats were also still asleep, and because there were so many of them; some ended up in odd places that made Annie smile to herself. A few lay in Annie's bed, there was a good number of them on the edges of the book shelves and boxes, and some slept curled up in bowls much like the one she had eaten out of. Annie gently nudged some of the cats on her bed, so that she could sit with her legs hanging over its edge and look around the house better.

It was in an awkward state of silence, in which it felt blasphemous to disturb. So she wasn't entirely sure what to do, Annie contemplated leaving before Impaz woke, but didn't want to seem unappreciative and rude to the older lady. But if she stayed to long that could also cause problems, possibly in a much more serious way that could have major repercussions; and Annie was in no mood to have to do deal with that added stress on any scale.

"You really shouldn't scowl so much; it's unbecoming of a young lady such as yourself," Winked Impaz, while also startling Annie. To the point where she jumped slightly, and almost squished one of the cats; her first thought being that she hoped it hadn't been the calico from before, as it hurried out of her way. While also hoping that she hadn't hurt to the poor feline, but soon her regret turned into embarrassment and she attempted to hide behind her medium length bangs. The rest of the cats now awoke to greet their master, and the house was abuzz with activity once again.

"No, no….don't be embarrassed dear; it was merely a suggestion. And as for your reaction, it is quite understandable," Smiled Impaz, obviously entertained by her younger companion. She moved about the house at a speed and deftness that constantly amazed Annie; she had no idea exactly how old Impaz was, but her snow white hair, wrinkles and short stature gave Annie enough information to guess. Annie just smiled back at Impaz not able to find anything to say and watched and waited for what the older lady might say and do; and as always she didn't have to wait long.

It hadn't taken Impaz long to descend the stairs that lead to the upper floors of the house and she began gathering some things Annie could not quite make out. "Now dearie….not that I don't want you around, but I think it would be best for you leave soon; I'm sure the people back where you came from are extremely worried about you," stated Impaz carefully, trying not to offend the young girl.

"oh…..yeah, they probably are," said Annie thoughtfully. She felt guilty for forgetting that no one had known that she had left on her own; everyone in Kakariko most likely thought she was dead or captured, and she could not believe she had forgotten already about them.

"Do not worry dear, I will not scold you if you ran away," murmured Impaz apparently still looking for something.

"Well, I didn't mean to….it..just kind of happened," explained Annie.

"Ah, I see," acknowledged Impaz, while setting a small rectangular package in Annie's hand. "This is for you hon', you're going to need something to stay on your feet," smiled Impaz.

"What is it," questioned Annie. Unable to discern exactly what was inside the wrapped package; she guessed it was some sort of food, but nothing specific came to mind.

"It's jerky dear, that package should last you a good amount of time. I wanted to make sure you had enough to get yourself home."

"Oh wow," exclaimed Annie feeling the weight of the package "Are you sure you won't need some of this?"

"That is but a mere portion of what I have, trust me I will be fine," beamed Impaz with warmth and compassion. Annie couldn't help but smile and be touched by Impaz's kindness and motherliness, which in turn reminded her of her real mother back home. She and the rest of her family were probably in even more of a panic that those who were in Kakariko, there was no denying that she missed them terribly and wished she were home; but a part of her also understood why she was here. A whole nation, and possibly this entire world was at stake; and by her own personal morals, the thousands if not millions of people's lives were far more important than her own personal happiness at the moment.

Annie had deliberately kept herself from thinking of her family to avoid sinking into a depressed mood. In Hyrule she needed to focused and determined, and thinking about them had only distracted her from her mission and what she had to do in the present. Now though, she felt a new found strength in the memories of her home and family; driven by her motivation to return to them and be able to see them once again. This strength was what finally gave Annie the motivation and determination she needed to finally make her way from Impaz's house. Annie had been apprehensive and timid about leaving; she now had no qualms though and prepared to leave.

"Thank you," said Annie finally; meaning it in more ways than one, but not wanting to delve into the deeper meanings of it. Impaz had moved about the house and was now preparing yet another large pot of stew and "Hmmm…?" was all Annie managed to get out of the older lady.

"Thank you for your hospitality and everything you've done for me," reiterated Annie once again.

"You are most welcome; it has been a long time since I have had company. And the work you did for me more than compensates for the food, though I would have never charged you for any of it," confessed Impaz. At this point she had stopped tending to her pot and turned to face Annie; Impaz had of course known the young girl would soon leave but she quickly noticed a change in her. There was now an unwavering determination and confidence in her voice, along with a new found mental strength. These observations made Impaz smile inwardly; the young girl in front of her had taken yet another step towards becoming a hero of legend. Physical strength meant nothing if she was unable to focus it, and had nothing personal to drive it.

"You're leaving now aren't you?" grinned Impaz, already knowing the answer.

"Yes," agreed Annie with an edge of steel in her voice, though not unkind.

"I understand," nodded Impaz while watching Annie gather her weapons. It never ceased to amaze the older lady how brightly the sword glowed when the young girl held it. It seemed almost eager to be in contact with its hero; though at the site of her quiver and bow Impaz frowned. "You're going to need more arrows than that," she stated, worried for the first time.

"I can get more from out there," motioned Annie with her head. Her new found determination proving infallible; she could very well scavenge enough arrows from only a few of the opponents that stalked around the house.

Impaz nodded slowly at that, concerned but understanding. "Be safe," she murmured feeling the loneliness before Annie departed. Annie stood, and smiled "I plan on it," she responded then moved towards the door. She paused for a brief second resting her hand on the door knob and looked about the house one last time. The countless books dusty and untouched, yet not forgotten called out to Annie; she would have loved to read them. The countless stories and fables of Hyrule that only existed here, in the real world Hyrule captured her imagination and pulled at her curiosity. She would have given anything to be able to stay and read them, but if she did not fulfill her destiny then none of it would ever matter.

And then there were the countless cats Impaz shared her house with. All were friendly companions to her and any who entered her home, and the only form of constant company for the last inhabitant of the hidden village. They all seemed to have an uncommon level of intelligence glittering in their perceptive eyes; and Annie swore she could see questions and words form in their facial expressions, almost as if they could communicate with her. Though she was only beginning to realize this, and the more she watched the cats the more she was convinced and entranced by their human like expressions.

And finally there was Impaz herself, standing in the middle of it all. Annie admired her resilience and determination throughout the years; she could not imagine how hard it must have been to live alone for so long, waiting for the hero of the heavens. Never knowing when or if he would actually ever show up, and kept going only due to the strength of her faith and devotion. Annie could not think of any greater show of faith, all while staying upbeat and happy; and she made a personal vow to try and be more like her. Focusing on what she had, and not brooding over what she didn't; moping about those things would not bring them back, and only through her own actions would they return to her.

"Good bye dear," said Impaz with a touch of sadness in her voice.

"Good bye," replied Annie. It was then that she finally opened the door and stepped out to face the bulbin infested town; all the while hopping she would actually be able to gather more arrows from them. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the difference in light Annie quickly circled back around the house as to not be detected by to many bulbins; the instant increase in noise however told her that she had not been fully successful in that regard. She was however, unperturbed by that fact; in fact, she smiled to herself fully prepared for the coming battle. Her only regret being that the western style battle music would not be playing as she attempted her escape.


	13. Answers in the Darkness

**Answers in the Darkness**

**An: Phew…this will be one of my longer chapters! Hope you all enjoy it, I know sometimes I tend to write short ones. **

Quickly Annie leaned against the back of the house so as not to be surprised from behind. It was then that she maneuvered the bow over her head, and lifted an arrow from her depleted quiver; then knocked it with a considerable level of calm and determination. Holding the bow at only a half draw and angled downward, she crept towards the edge of the house. The ground was a rocky hard packed, parched soil; enabling her to make the few steps almost noiselessly, that ability was however shared by her enemies.

Now standing at the corner of the building Annie paused instead of jumping out and firing her arrow. She did not have many left to waste, and the first few she fired could mean escape or death. Instead she watched her surroundings, and tried to pin point where some of the closest bulbins may be. If she remembered correctly there would be around 20 in total, however killing all of them was not necessary. Annie could only hear a small portion of them; and they were surprisingly quiet, though their incoherent babble could still reach a deafening level when a group was aroused.

The closest enemy Annie could make out, didn't seem to be too far forward of Impaz's house and was off to her the right slightly. After a few more moments of listening she realized it was on one of the other buildings decks; it wouldn't affect her ability to kill it, only her ability to scavenge its arrows. Annie took one last moment to prepare herself. Closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, and played out the coming scene; attempting to beat her opponent's moves before they even occurred.

Opening her eyes Annie pivoted on her right foot, bringing her body out beyond the corner of the building. Within seconds she had locked on to the targeted bulbin, and begun lining up her shot. Once her bow was level she let her arrow fly; Annie had attempted an instant kill, aiming for the bulbins face. The arrow flew true to its mark, and struck the dumbfounded monster just underneath one of its eyes. Blood quickly erupted from the gash, while the monster clutched its face and screamed. It had not died immediately as she had hoped, but it soon began to waver as she watched it intently; praying it would fall over the balcony railing. However her focus was promptly diverted by an arrow that whistled toward her, then buried it's self in the ground inches from her feet. She was immediately terrified.

Quickly she scanned her surroundings in an attempt to find the hidden foe. But at the moment and from her vantage point she could not find the source of the arrows. Panicked, Annie began moving at horizontal angles based on what direction the arrow had come from. Her only reason for not taking cover back behind the house being the arrows she needed. The fatally injured bulbin now toppled over the railing as she had hoped, but yet another arrow came streaking through the air. Almost catching her horizontally in the shins; pausing as little as possible she grabbed it and quickened her pace towards the deceased monster, now twitching on the ground.

As soon as Annie broke from the cover of the houses, and into the main street she was bombarded by an uncountable amount of archers; but she NEEDED the arrows. She side stepped, weaved, and tried to roll form their wrath. Annie was now solely focused on getting to the fallen bulbin, and no longer tried to pull arrows from the ground, but instead zeroed in on the easier stash.

Now only half way to her target due to her inverted path, movement now caught her attention form the corner of her vision; she hesitated, unsure of what it was, or what caused it. This mistake however was immediately followed by a vicious burning sensation in her right for arm. Without hesitating any longer or pausing to look at her arm Annie put pressure on it with her other hand and ran the final distance to the dead bulbin. Cradling her arm against her stomach, Annie scooped up as many arrows as she could with her left hand, then tore off a piece of the bulbins clothing never completely stopping this time; having learned her lesson.

After finally managing to get the arrows into her quiver, and dodging another volley of arrows she ducked into a dead end ally to her left. She sat with her back against the wall with her legs and arms protecting her mid-section; all the while searching for any monsters that may have followed her. When after several minutes nothing happened, she stole a glance at her injured arm. Half way up her for arm was an inch deep gash, three to four inches long stretching diagonally across it. It was beginning to bleed profusely, and she quickly bandaged it as best she could with the scrap of clothing. After she had finished Annie tried to relax some and slow her heart beat. She could not afford to lose a large amount of blood, the wound itself did not seem life threatening but she needed to be focused and aware.

The gash made it significantly harder to move her arm, and was unable to bear any kind of weight. Meaning she would be unable to use the bow during the rest of her escape. She would have to get creative from here on out. Thinking quickly, Annie thought through all of her battles searching for a way to fight with only her left hand. The only other weapon she had though was Illumous, the bow was completely out of question; leaving her the only option of some kind of improvised sword technique. Thinking quickly and on a whim Annie wondered if the golden sword would reject the monsters as it had done to Link and her doppelganger. It would mean getting extremely close to the archers, but it was the only way of fighting back that she had.

It felt like she had spent an eternity in the ally way, thinking. Something about it felt very long, it seemed like even a bulbin would have chased after her but still nothing happened. Unwilling to waste any more time, Annie awkwardly drew Illumous which felt excessively heavy in the wrong hand. This worried her some, but still she crept tentatively toward the opening of the ally way.

She discovered why no bulbins had attacked yet as soon as soon as she came close to the opening. Three bulbins lay in wait for her, and immediately set upon her with two with clubs and one with a bow. Annie had seconds to react. She managed to dodge a club by mere millimeters, and quickly tried to locate the archer. He had naturally retreated behind his two cohorts to protect himself; making it all the more difficult for her to reach him. Desperately she swung Illumous in an arc in an attempt to drive back the bulbins closest to her. It was a poor swing to say the least, and the monsters easily moved out of its way; however it was successful in moving her enemies out of the way. When the opening first presented its self, Annie sprinted for the lone archer; praying she wouldn't be bombarded once again. When she finally neared him she stopped dead in her tracks, and pivoted on her left foot, then struck it hard in the collar bone with the butt of Illumous. The sheer force of the blow knocked the bulbin to the ground; the following eruption of light, and only what Annie could describe as electricity literally blew the monster apart. The archer's mid-section exploded due to the ferocity of the secondary blow, and Annie attempted to shield herself from the flying debris, or at least her face. She could feel chunks hitting her however, and soon parts of her tunic felt wet, she did her best to not think about it, and tried to regain her focus.

Slowly lowering her arms, she stared dumb founded at the golden sword. It was completely untouched by the gore, perfectly pristine. Her tunic however was completely soiled, for a brief second she wondered how she could clean it; saddened by its sorry state. Though she soon turned her attention to the bulbin now; its entire upper half was missing. The smell of the burnt flesh and hair made Annie retch, its bottom half was partially intact with entrails visible, along with a rather large blood and flesh smear on the nearest house and ground. She averting her gaze quickly from the grizzy sight, and focused again on the other two bulbins; trying to distract herself from what she had done.

When Annie finally turned to other two opponents, it was clear they were dumb struck with what they had just witnessed. They just stood there, limp and terrified. This left Annie conflicted however, she was unsure whether she should try and escape, or attack to be safe. She began to walk towards them, and in effect towards the cave that lead out of the hidden village. If the bulbins did nothing when she got near them, Annie decided she would let them be; if they attacked, she would reciprocate.

As Annie neared them they soon broke out of their shock, and began reacting to her presence once again. She raised Illumous in response, and they immediately shied away but still held their ground; Annie could no longer hear any of the other bulbins, who were presumably hiding from her now. But she chose to focus on the enemies in front of her, the ones that posed the greatest threat.

When she approached the bulbins Annie was much more prepared for what was to come, but so were her opponents; they gave her as wide a berth as they could, and circled her at opposite ends, leaving her less of an opening to escape. Awkwardly, Annie tried to hold the golden sword up as to protect herself; it was a poor attempt, but she couldn't wear out her wrist all at once and she hoped they would fall for her bluff. However after several seconds the two began to close the circle, losing their fear of the sword. Whether from ignorance or by calling her bluff Annie was unsure. She readied herself and assumed a ready stance, and held Illumous in front of herself defensively. With each passing moment her heart rate increased, and so did the throbbing in her arm. In response she held it a bit tighter against her stomach, no longer worried about ruining her tunic; it was already there.

As their circle tightened Annie began to rotate as well to keep an eye on them both. As they came ever closer Annie swung Illumous around herself to make space, but again it was easily avoided. They came at her once again, this time much more confident in themselves, and Annie attempted yet another arced swing. She managed catch both of them this time, but the power behind the swing was minimal; only causing them superficial damage across their chests. Wanting to escape as soon as she could, Annie now made for one of the bulbins. Again she sprinted for it, pivoted, and struck it with the end of the sword.

The following events left Annie stunned and confused however. When hit with the sword, the monster fell like the one before it; only the sword released little to no light, only causing the monster to writhe and shake for a few moments. Thinking quickly, she did not allow the monster to stand. As soon as it was apparent that it would not die, Annie plunged the tip of Illumous into its chest, causing a spray of blood to jump skyward and thus ending its life.

Annie had no idea why the sword had not rejected the second bulbin as fiercely as the other. Unfortunately she did not have much time to ponder this, and had to focus on the last bulbin set on attacking her. However when she turned to face it, he was no longer there. He had vanished, much like all the others of his kind in the hidden village.

She stood erect, and looked about; making sure there were no new enemies face. Thankfully the streets were completely bare and silent, though Annie knew there were at least a dozen of them left hiding. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, she quickly turned and began to jog towards the exit. She half expected something to go terribly wrong during these moments, strangely nothing did. When she finally made it to the sign identifying the town, Annie turned and attempted to hide behind one of the poles supporting it; she was looking for any of the monsters that may have decided to follow her. Annie was paranoid now of an attack, especially now when it felt so easy to get away. Still nothing had changed, almost adding to her paranoia. When she was convinced yet again that the bulbins were not following her, she again jogged towards the sole exit constantly looking over her shoulder.

When she entered the cave, Annie finally managed to relax. Half way through the cave Annie carefully maneuvered herself into a sitting position against one of the walls of the cave. The physical and mental exhaustion catching up to her all at once, she stretched her legs out in front of her and rested her arms in her lap. Both of which hurt, one due to injury and the other due to over use. She was also somewhat hungry, but couldn't find the motivation to dig out the jerky Impaz had given her.

Annie had no idea how long she stayed in the cave doing nothing but thinking. It was almost impossible to tell time in the cave, light did not penetrate it from either side, leaving the darkness her only companion. When finally she felt rested enough, and the cut on her arm had sealed up a bit, Annie decided to move on. Carefully she walked through the cave, running her hands along both walls to keep herself centered.

As Annie neared the mouth of the cave she once again became hesitant, worried about what may happen as she tried to get past yet another group of bulbins. Stealing a quick glance at the sky before madness ensued, she guessed it was late in the afternoon now. Not the greatest time to try and escape another battle.

In an attempt to prolong the inevitable she made her way towards the twilight gate. They never ceased to amaze her, the way the seemed to absorb the light and surrounding noise. As she neared it, Annie became enthralled in the golden designs and intricate images. She had always wondered if they meant anything and if so what kind of stories they told.

After a few moments of staring Annie turned to leave; however mid step she found herself unable to move forward, accompanied by a squeezing sensation around her lower half. Terrified, she looked down only to find herself grasped by a giant black hand extending into the twilight gate. The pure shock left her paralyzed, unable to comprehend what was happening. And then came a brief tugging and sucking sensation; the world blurred, and then there was nothing but darkness.


	14. A Balanced Scale

**A Balanced Scale**

**An: Just so you guys know, over the next few weeks I'll be going over my past chapters and editing them some. Nothing major will be changed; I just want to make them a bit better now that I feel I am able to.**

The next few sensations Annie felt were almost indescribable, happening all at once and at a degree of intensity that was mind numbing. The severity of the pain blocked out many of her senses, all she knew was that she lay on the ground. Annie could feel her body contorting; shifting and moving itself into unknown and foreign shapes and odd angles. Annie was confident that she was going to be beaten to death; she had no other explanation at the moment for what was happening to her. However even the ability to think, was soon snatched away from her.

Bones popped in and out of place as well as joints, muscle and tendons were stretched almost to the snapping point; and then became shorter and more defined. Parts of her body completely deformed, moved and shaped as if she was a ball of clay being manipulated by some unseen force. Every part of her body was affected by this, her head and face; even her legs and arms.

When finally she could form a cohesive thought, Annie had no hope that she would survive. However, with time things began coming back to her. Her sense of touch and hearing were the first to return to her. Her vision had yet to renew its self, but Annie was too thankful for the pain stopping to worry about it at the moment.

She could hear a considerable amount of peripheral noise; it was all garbled and blended together, nothing seemed threatening to her though. Annie let herself lay there, resting after what she had just suffered through. However her ability to hear, touch, and smell had been effected by the violence. Annie couldn't tell exactly how they had been changed, but she was able to discern a difference in how they were functioning.

It felt like she spent hours there, but when left only to her thoughts time seemed to fly. In reality it was most likely no more than a little over an hour, towards the tail end of which she began regaining some of her motor skills. Annie could also feel something around her neck; it was tight but not uncomfortably so. Tentatively she flexed her neck in several directions, and was not restricted by it. Reassured by this she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed, was the world being covered in twilight, which did not surprise her much. However, the second was much more of a shock. She was looking down the end of wolf's muzzle, meaning she was now a wolf.

Quickly she jumped up onto all fours, and looked back at her flanks. She was white, with a few slight golden accents along the top of her back and nose. The thing around her neck was a collar of sorts, though situated more towards her chest with the top of it connecting close the summit of her shoulder blades. Slightly panicked, but curious she looked around for a water source in hopes of using it as a natural mirror. She was still within the small canyon, so there wasn't one in her immediate area; which was a good thing in a way. It would give her time to calm down more, and think clearer. Not to mention time to get used to her new body.

Wasting no more time, she carefully set off, traveling in the only direction available to her. Annie felt strangely comfortable after the initial shock, and everything came naturally when she didn't think too much about it. If she remembered correctly, there was a river fairly close by; but her progress was slowed however by the wound she received during her battle in the lost village. It had at this point scabbed over, but the cut muscle its self was what caused her to limp. It hurt her quite a bit when walking, but to stay alive she had to keep moving, in conjunction with her curiosity to find out what this collar looked like. It felt excessively heavy. It had to be made from metal, there was no way it could have been made from wood; and plastics did not exist in Hyrule.

Annie had only made it a few hundred feet when she reached the point where she needed to rest. Her body was still tired from the transformation, the injury on her now front right leg helped to drain her energy as well. Sitting on her haunches so as to be prepared for an attack, she took in her surroundings and tried to wrap her head around what she had literally become.

The black squares rising from the ground constantly made her twitch and jump. They looked solid, but passed through everything with ease, even her. As for the terrain it was generally unaffected by being covered in the twilight, the only notable difference being it was a little darker than normal. The sky was a dulled golden color, with constantly shifting black clouds covering most of it. The only things really affected by the twilight were living things such as people, monsters, and hero's. Each effected in different ways, people became spirits, monsters became grotesque versions of themselves, and hero's such as herself and Link became wolves.

She shook her head to try and dispel the depressing thoughts. Even though they were the only human things she had left. Now Annie turned her attention to herself, curious about what she could do in her wolf form. The first thing she did was wag her tail while looking over her shoulder, just so she could say she had been able to do it. It felt extremely odd to have an entirely new limb to control.

Her leg throbbed yet again. Now curious she looked down at it, the cut was exactly the same. And without meaning to, she absentmindedly began licking it for a while. When finally she realized what she was doing, Annie decided to move on slightly disgusted in herself. When she managed to find a small source of water along the canyon path she inspected the collar. Two intricate, golden wings stretched up around her chest, the tips of the wings connecting at the crest of her shoulders. Where the base of the two wings came together was a circular pendant with the triforce etched into it, along with other smaller designs. As she concentrated on it, it began to glow intensely. Her only explanation of where it could have come from was that Illumous had transformed as she had. This information comforted her some, but the fact that she was now a wolf still messed with her brain.

As she sat there pondering the collar and other such things, Annie began to notice a smell wafting through the air. It was a sweet, pleasant sent; much like a subtle perfume. Intrigued, she rose, and followed her nose, still with a limp as the strength of the smell increased. After several minutes and a short distance Annie came upon a small leather pouch lying in the middle of the path. Sitting to take the pressure off her leg, Annie thought for a while. The pouch was most definitely llia's, meaning Annie had been wrong when she had thought llia was on her way to Impaz's when she had left. She wondered how that had effected Impaz's impression of her, but soon she began to hear something approaching from behind. Her whole body stiffened in response, and she angled her ears towards the sound; another completely new sensation for Annie. When it became apparent that whatever was coming would not stop, Annie turned around quickly and growled menacingly; only to be knocked and then pined to the ground by a black blur.

When Annie's eyes were able to focus, Link in his wolf form was standing over her threateningly with a paw on her throat. She was terrified Link wouldn't recognize her, though he seemed perplexed by the collar; and so did Midna. She stared at in a way that made Annie uneasy, but since both of their attentions were focused on it she decided to use it to her advantage. Annie concentrated on the collar, and in effect the sword, as hard as she could. In response it began to glow fiercely, and Link allowed her stand.

"So…doggy knows a few tricks doesn't she? Hehehe!" laughed Midna, jumping down from Links back. Annie growled disapprovingly, but Midna just smiled evilly and wagged a finger at her. As a shadow in the light world, she was a menacing and creepy being; however in the twilight, she was even more so. Made worse by the fact that she now circled Annie looking her over, then stopping when she noticed the cut on her foreleg. "Well…doggy isn't very careful is she!" snickered Midna, the only one of the group now who was able to talk.

This time Annie growled louder and more menacingly, all the while Link just watched the two, letting the two of them work out their problems. Midna floated over Annie's head now to stay out of her rang "Now, now…if doggy behaves I might give her some medicine to help with the leg." And at that Annie relaxed slightly, and Midna lowered some. But when again the twilight princess referred to Annie as 'Doggy' her temper flared and she leapt into the air after her. Annie missed by a long shot, and when she landed her wound tore open sending her crashing to the ground. "Hmmm….we can't have you doing that…what was your name again? Ann?...No?..Hmmm…oh wait, wasn't it Annie?" When she nodded Midna lowered, snapped her fingers, and a potion appeared in her hand. Then like nothing had happened between the two she dumped it on Annie's wound. After a few minutes it felt completely fine, though the scab was still there; and then she and Link set off down the road. Annie stood there confused for a moment, unsure if she was welcome to follow; her unspoken question however was answered by Link, who stopped after a few steps and looked back at her questioningly. Not wasting any time she soon followed him in his mission to dispel the last of the twilight.

When they finally came to the opening of the field, Annie scanned their surroundings. Everything was much more dangerous in the twilight so she was much more careful, and it was made worse by the fact she was unsure of how to fight in her current state; however having Link with her was a major bonus, and she would be able to learn from him through observation. The most striking feature about the field they now entered was the royal family's castle; the scale of it was immense, far beyond what Annie had ever expected. It did not sit in the field they entered, but was visible from it. The shear amount of area it must have sat on was unfathomable, it was slightly worn with age but still had a powerful air of grandeur and luxury. In appearance it resembled the Disney castle but with significantly more towers and spires, connected to the largest and most central tower by long wide arches. In reality, the castle was made of dark gray stone with gray-blue tiled roofs; but the twilight changed its appearance. Making it look golden and radiant and Annie couldn't help but stare at it transfixed, however her focus was broken when Link sauntered past her towards the field; not waiting for her to follow this time. Quickly she followed and tried to absorb what the field it's self was like.

It was fairly large, cut in half by the river from lake Hylia, which cut deep into ground causing the river to be a little over ten feet below the field. The bridge connecting the two halves was modest, with few defining features other than its railings. The field its self had minimal trees along with several large boulders scattered throughout it.

There were several monsters about, mostly just the twilight's version of bulbins but the sight of them left Annie taken aback. They had the same general body shape but were a dark, cloudy, black; with darker still right angle designs over their bodies. On their chest were odd shaped red designs that seemed almost like a personal marker to Annie, each one having a vastly different marker from then next. The next most defining feature however being the head coverings they wore. They were cut into odd shapes only allowing one eye to be used. Their mangy and scraggly black hair didn't help to improve the creepy vibes they exuded.

Confidently the two wolves made their way into the field, making no attempt to stay hidden from the monsters. Annie could tell Link was following llia's sent by the way he concentrated, and how his nose constantly twitched. Annie however followed him by sight, far less used to her enhanced senses. And as they neared the bridge he paid no attention to the monsters guarding it; and only broke his focus when one of them came towards him. At which time he leapt towards it with a ferocity that momentarily shocked Annie. He hit the monster in the chest with his forelegs, knocking the beast to the ground and then biting down on its neck; Annie turned her attention to the other. Not wanting to waste any more time she sprinted towards it, doing her best to not die in her first fight as a wolf. Once she was within range Annie leapt for the monster, but unlike Link, she caught it around the neck before if fell. And soon the beasts both lay dead on the ground.

When Annie rose from her kill, Link nodded in silent approval then turned and begun crossing the bridge, her cue to follow, and she loped after him. As the scent became fresher, Links pace increased. He ignored everything else and only dealt with enemies if they directly attacked, nor did he wait for her. It was her responsibility to keep up with him, though it was not that much of a problem for her; and after only a few minutes they entered the small clearing that lead to Castle town. The stone wall protecting the town, and from people falling into the large crevice was in a state of disrepair. It was a sad sight to Annie, with many holes and broken pieces, along with iron bars in the same condition.

The field itself was much more forested than the one before it. The trees were larger and more plentiful in number, with only a few large boulders lying about. Almost the opposite of the previous field, and had longer grass carpeting it. This naturally caused Link's pace to lessen, however he still moved with an unwavering determination.

The monsters here were also more plentiful, though were better hidden than the last few. Annie was not able to see them, and only knew of their presence from memory, and her heightened sense of smell and hearing. She kept her eyes open for them but did not actively seek them out. Walking at a relaxed pace now they headed towards the entrance to Castle town, Link seemed like he was in less of hurry now; Annie guessed it was because they were now getting close to llia, and it was more than likely that she was still alive.

All was quite as they walked leisurely through the field. Nothing came after them or attacked, and a gentle breeze ruffled their fur playfully; Annie soaked in the wonderful sensation, completely relaxed and happy. Even Link seemed to relax and soaked in the moment, but not forgetting his task and still followed the young girls scent. However as they neared the bridge leading into Castle town Link slowed even more, Annie didn't think anything of it as they were about to enter a bustling city in Hyrule's standards. Even though he was a legendary hero, Annie considered the possibility that he was uncomfortable in a packed city; even though the people were spirits their presence could overwhelm his sensitive senses.

However when they reached the wooden bridge Links demeanor changed drastically, he lowered his head and body into a defensive position and growled with a seething hatred. Looking at Link, Annie detected genuine fear in him. Something she had not seen since she had met him. Terrified, she followed his line of sight, and soon she too felt it. It obviously bothered Link, but for some unknown reason it sickened Annie to the core; this feeling they both shared was not something they detected with any of their senses. It was an instinctual warning and sensitivity to some unknown threat, even Illumous reacted to it, pulsating angrily. She contemplated trying to escape this battle, but her thoughts were quickly interrupted by movement from the entrance to the bustling city.

It took Annie less than a second to realize that whatever was coming towards them was the cause of their unease. Moments later she could tell it was a wolf, much like Link and herself. However this one was the color of the purest black, unbroken except for sinister purple accents half way up its legs, at the end of its long bushy tail, and finally atop its slightly elongated ears. It had a thin muscular body, with long, powerful looking legs. He had a scraggly mane, much like Links but it extended around his whole neck. Giving him more of a lion look, its head and muzzle were thin but in a way that gave it an even more menacing air. The most puzzling feature of the new comer however, was the iron collar it wore. It was thick and heavy looking, with rivets around its perimeter and ringlets of chain hanging from the center. Darkness seamed to radiate from him as he walked, and it was apparent no good would from his appearance. Everything about him seemed hateful and angry.

He walked slowly, but confidently; completely sure of himself. As he crossed the half way mark in the bridge, he lowered his head in an aggressive manner. Like it or not, the two hero's would have to fight their way out of this one. Impatient, Link sprinted up the few stairs on the bridge and tried to land a quick but fatal blow. Just as Link was about to close in on the ebony wolf he was forcefully, and violently swatted aside by a powerful blow from one of its violet paws. There was an audible THWUMP, then he and Midna laid in a heap and did not move. Annie just stared, dumbfounded and terrified while she attempted to not cower in front of the menacing wolf. Then he laughed; somehow humanly, in a way that made Annie's blood curdle. "FOOLISH HERO!" he spat at Link, in a powerful masculine voice.

He slowly turned his head and now focused on Annie, "Now….to business," he murmured to himself and stalked forward. Annie no longer allowed herself to be afraid of this monster; she spread her feet, and waited for him to come to her. Annie made a personal vow to fight him as hard as she was able. Wanting every advantage she had at her disposal, Annie concentrated on Illumous; faithfully it responded to this with a stronger glow. The black foe flattened his ears at this, and snarled slightly; but still he came. "HAH! You…Goldy…are not the only one who knows a few tricks" he taunted.

After a handful of seconds, a black, viscous liquid began to bleed from the rivets in his collar. Slowly they dripped down on to the ground, it took Annie several minutes; but she soon recognized them as the things that turned into doppelgangers. They moved with surprising speed across the ground and Annie had all she could do to avoid them. The black wolf only watched and kept his distance, watching intently. When it became clear to Annie it was only a matter of time before one of the black balls managed to touch her, she resorted to the only form of defense she had left. Blocking out any other thought, Annie focused on Illumous; she forced herself to forget about everything else. And obediently, though slightly delayed, Illumous begun to glow fiercely; and quickly it began to glow brighter than Annie had ever seen it. But it didn't just stop there, the light spread from the collar; up her head and down her body until she herself begun to glow. Empowered, she swatted at one of black masses and when her blow landed it dissipated into dust.

However, when the black wolf saw this he growled furiously; and many more masses began to leak from his collar. More than Annie would ever be able to handle, and fighting like this was severely draining. She would only be able to keep it up for a few more moments, but Annie fought on. Many of the masses where now able to latch on to her, only kept from taking on her form due to the light. She paid them no mind however, and fought those coming after her; they severely weighed her down and restricted her movement but Annie didn't care. She was fighting a losing battle and she knew it. Her journey would end here. The black wolf sat now on his haunches and laughed at the sky in his own twisted way, completely bemused.

Now completely drained, the light dissipated leaving Annie to her own devices. Exhausted and limp she stood shakily, panting. When the black wolf saw this he smiled, and barked hoarsely. Dispelling the black masses he had created. "Now the fun is over….and the time has come for you to die," he said excitedly, his smile broadening with anticipation. Unable to find the energy to stand any longer Annie collapsed onto the ground, as she watched his paws advance towards her she noticed something. On his front right paw, the triforce glowed. The piece glowing brightest being the top most triangle, she closed her eyes now and waited. Knowing what she had just witnessed meant. The next sensation she felt was that of being pulled from above. Like her whole body was being sucked into a vacuum machine, and moments later all of her senses deserted her. No sight. No sound. No sense of touch.

She could not feel her body, but after a second Annie realized she could 'sense' her body. It felt like it was there, just not physically. Annie wasn't sure if she was dead or not, but after a moment or so everything came back to her. Never opening her eyes, she heard birds chirping and fluttering in the trees, wind blowing through a forest, and wonderfully refreshing water lapping at her tired body.

Sun was shining down on her, warming her tired body. Relaxing the muscles in her shoulders and along her back; the sounds of the small waves relaxing her mind, while washing away the tension within her body. In minutes Annie slept. Not caring if it caused her death.


	15. The Forgotten

**The Forgotten**

**AN: Hey everyone! Just so you guys know I might not be able to write as quickly as I have lately. Where I just graduated high school and am going into college I may be busy and unable to write for long periods of time. I just wanted you to know that I will not abandon this story; it just might take more time for me to write chapters than usual.**

Light, a blinding and intense light was the first thing Annie's tired mind registered. Her body was well rested from sleep and the therapeutic waves, but her mind was still sluggish from exhaustion. For a quick moment the light increased in strength, and Annie kept her eyes closed until if reduced to a safer level. When she finally did open her eyes, several emotions and thoughts danced through her mind; she was still a wolf, slightly to her dismay.

Link was as well, though he stood a few feet away, and Midna was missing from her usual perch on his back. He did not notice her awakening however and was focused on something else. Slowly Annie rose to her feet, shaking the water out of her fur; they were in one of the light spirits springs. The two wolves stood in a circular spring that came from water flowing down a slight water fall, with an old forest surrounding them on all sides. Quickly Annie followed Link's line of sight, hoping she would not see what she had last time. However Annie was greeted by the sight of the light spirit Ordona, and it was only then did she realize they were now in the world of light. Which explained where Midna had gone, but this left Annie confused as to why she was still a wolf. However these thoughts were interrupted when the light spirit focused on her.

Ordona, being a light spirit towered over Link and Annie. She had a pale golden body, accented by circular designs on her body that pulsated with a liquid like appearance, adding to her brilliance. In form she greatly resembled the Hylian goats, her horns were quiet large and angled in such a way they curved back around to meet each other and form a circle. Containing the ball of light and power that defined such beings, the only difference in her physical appearance compared to the goats being her tail. Which was thin at its base, and then expanded into a much more complicated shape; it was curved much like a huskies, with a small frill on the latter half ending the tail in a point. Her tail was also accented with the pulsating designs, but they were more of straight lines compared to those on her body. The goats of Hyrule were vastly different from her worlds goats; they were much larger and muscular with more of a blocky build, resembling shaggy mountain goats more than the farm goats that came to mind.

"Welcome heros…to my spring," said Ordona, swinging her massive head between the two as to acknowledge them both. In response Link and Annie lowered their heads for a few moments in a bow like gesture. "I sense you both have been through much this past day, and know you are lucky to have escaped with your lives. You must tell me of your battle, I must know what being is able to spread suck darkness," demanded Ordona. "As a gift...I grant to you Annie, the ability to speak in this form. I sense you have many questions for me, and I for you. It is also my duty to add a portion of my power to Illumous so please…step forward and present Illumous."

Annie did as she was told, walked forward, and sat so that Ordona could do what she needed with the collar. Carefully the light spirit lowered her head until the tip of her nose touched the collar; immediately everything was drowned out in another flash of intense light. It only lasted a moment however and soon everything resumed normality in a sense. But Annie could feel a difference in Illumous already, it seemed almost eager to do anything Annie might ask of it. Link however had not moved the entire time, and now looked at her with a wondering expression.

"I…Im fine," Annie finally managed to croak. Talking while being a wolf felt odd, and she had gone a long time without doing so even before she was one. Causing her to stumble over her words slightly, "Ordona….why are we still wolves? Don't spirits have the power to change us back?"

"Yes we spirits have such power, but there are reasons you have remained so. You must return to Lanayru's province, and you must free it from the twilight. Our world cannot be saved unless you are able to accomplish this."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Demanded Annie, her temper flaring now, "The dark wolf is still there, and how are we supposed to save Lanayru and avoid him at the same time? We obviously aren't strong enough to defeat him!" Annie hadn't meant to, but she had almost begun to yell. The thought of having to go back into the twilight to their deaths angered and frightened her, Link and herself had only managed to escape due to pure luck the first time. And there was no way the dark wolf would allow them to escape a second time by the same means.

"Dark…wolf?" Questioned Ordona,"Was it not the dark lord Ganon who attacked you?" Worry now crossed her divine face, but if she knew more on the subject she kept it to herself for the moment.

All Annie could do was sit there for a few moments. She was completely dumb struck; Annie could not comprehend the thought of the dark wolf not being Ganon. "…..They're not one in the same?" Was all she managed to get out.

"If the enemy that attacked was a wolf…then no; and I'm afraid we have a much more serious situation on our hands…." stated Ordona with sadness. Slowly she swung her head to Link but did not address him, though not out of disrespect. "Midna. I know where you hide, show yourself and help to guide these heroes." At that Midna appeared, she was slightly upset about being ordered to appear but she was good at picking her battles. And one with a light spirit was not a good one to fight.

"Yes?" Questioned Midna somewhat defensively, hovering above Link in her shadow form. The only color in her form now was her uncovered eye and her fiery orange hair; she stared at Ordona with annoyance and anger now, waiting for her to ask a question instead of sharing what she knew voluntarily.

"What do you know of this dark wolf?" Questioned Ordona somewhat forcefully.

"What is it that you think I know about this?" bit back Midna seemingly offended. No longer did she float above Link in her usual relaxed manner, but now floated erect with her hands clenched at her sides. Ordona had obviously touched upon a sensitive subject, or Midna thought she was being blamed for what had happened. Link and Annie looked between them. Astonished by how bluntly and angrily Midna spoke to the light spirit. Quickly the two wolves looked to each other, and backed away from the two to clear some space in case things got nasty.

"Is your realm not an ancient prison for those who abused dark powers? And is it not where Hyrule sent its most dangerous criminals?" Asked Ordona, her expression hardening, and as she spoke and her gentle tone slowly began to evaporate. Midna winced at this, hurt by the resurfaced memory. She turned away from all who gathered at the spring, unwilling to make eye contact with anyone; and assumed a sitting position in the air with her arms folded across her stomach, her legs crossed as if she was in a recliner. It took a few moments of silence and all eyes boring into her back before Midna agreed flatly.

"And what of you and your ancestors? Were you not tasked with guarding one such criminal? One of whom no others could have hoped to," Asked Ordona kindness now finding its way back into her voice, helping to diffuse the situation some, and helping the two heroes to relax. Midna however, was affected in the opposite manner, her stress and worry level increasing dramatically.

"No…he…he couldn't have…" said Minda, not wanting to believe what Ordona was implying. Quickly she turned back to face the spirit once again, awaiting her response. Terror spreading across her face for the first time that Annie could remember.

"Unfortunatly…it is all too possible," replied Ordona, "When you were transformed into your current state, your power was weakened… and in effect the seal protecting the prison of the inmate. And when you fled your realm, all that was necessary was for Zant to happen across it and release him."

Midna was devastated by this, and slowly sunk to the ground where she tried to regain her senses. Annie was now completely lost, and looking at Link she could see the same questions forming in his facial expressions. "Not to interrupt..but…who is this inmate you keep talking about? What's his name," questioned Annie. She wanted to know as much as possible, any piece of knowledge could prove useful or lifesaving.

"His name has long since passed from memory, along with his physical appearance. All that is known of this foe now is that he should never be allowed to roam freely. It is now tasked upon you three to defeat him any way possible," replied Ordona solemnly.

"How are we supposed to do that," asked Annie hoping for a useful answer, "…..he has the triforce of power."

"What did you say?" Asked Ordona, caught off guard for the first time. "Are you sure of this?"

"The triforce glows on the back of his right paw, the top one the brightest. And yes I'm sure," came Annie's firm response.

"And did it glow brightly?"

"Well it was definitely visible, and the triforce of power was brighter than the rest…but I wouldn't say it was 'bright'," responded Annie tentatively. Trying her best to recall the fading memory, Ordona however looked off into the distance; thinking for a few moments about the increasingly bleak situation they faced.

It was several moments before Ordona spoke again, and her calm demeanor and gentle tone had vanished when she did. "The triforce of power is moving young heroes…it has chosen another bearer, one who embodies power more so than Ganon himself. For one to surpass him is unfathomable, but it may work in your favor; for the triforce fragment to fully transfer to this dark wolf he must seek out the dark lord and take it from him. Temporarily pitting your two enemies against one another; however, we have spent far too much time here and you must return to the twilight. Forgive me for being abrupt, but I know no more that will help you and time must not be wasted in these dark times. Farewell and good luck young heroes."

At that the light spirit dissipated, leaving no trace that she had been present. The three left standing in the shallow water looked between themselves, trying to absorb all of the information that had been divulged. Annie was more concerned with what was left unanswered however. Like who this dark wolf actually was, or what he really looked like; she was afraid that when the last of the twilight was lifted they would encounter him, and not realize it until it was too late. For like Link and herself, he would resume his human form; and for some reason, this scared Annie more so. He had been extremely powerful and sure of his abilities in his wolf state, imagining what he could accomplish in his human form was a terrifying thought for her.

He fumed as he walked. His anger manifesting its self as a dark cloud surrounding his body and it was amusing to him how it repelled the beings of light, though they were only lowly spirits. They were lucky that they no longer lived, or he would have killed them all for the fun of it. He had things to accomplish, and they had no place with in it.

As he walked through Castle town square one of the idiot spirits managed to bump into him, sending him off the handle. It did not take much however; he had spent millennia locked within a prison. Enraged he bristled, his body rippling in a minor physical transformation; his body grew larger, to about the size of horse. He became much more muscular, and his weight cracked the stone he walked on. Unable to torture any of the spirits he swiped at a stone pillar which held up a portion of a building with one of his massive purple paws. It snapped like a twig under the weight of his blow, breaking into many smaller pieces which flew through the air; however he paid them no mind. The real satisfaction came from the collapse of the building; it listed forward for a moment then slowly dove into the ground, resulting in a satisfying crash. Even though he could not directly harm any of the citizens, he hoped the building and terrain could. He cared nothing for the city, many of this world considered it beautiful; but the grey stone used to construct almost all of it brought him satisfaction only when thought of destroying it.

He hated being here, no; that was incorrect. He hated being around so many creatures of the light, and not be able to exact his revenge upon the ancestors of those who had imprisoned him. Chastising himself, he regretted not killing the two wolves who had so wonderfully presented themselves to him; only now did he realize he had played with them far too long. It did not bother him terribly however, shortly he would acquire the rest of the triforce of power. Then afterwards he would have the opportunity to test what new powers it would give him on the two. This made him smile, but it was almost time to accomplish a major milestone in his grand scheme; and yet another physical transformation occurred, and how he wished mortal eyes could look upon him. The despair and terror their eyes would have shown would have been greatly satisfying, for none had seen him like this before. None would live to see it again either, not even 'the dark lord' Ganon.


	16. Halves of a whole

**Halves of a Whole**

**AN: Ok, so I actually never intended to write this, but it happened anyway and I'm glad it did. :) I hope you all enjoy it, and please let me know if you think more chapters like this would be a good idea to! And don't forget to review! **

Stone still cracking under his weight, the dark wolf now rounded the corner to the Hylian throne room; it was a gigantic room, and could have easily fit the average size Hylian house within it. There were also many large stone pillars lining both sides of it, with equally large windows all pointed at the top; everything being made out of the same light grey stone. He smiled devilishly in anticipation, brandishing his elongated and sharpened teeth. His body was much larger now, close to the size of a large draft horse. Even his collar had changed during the second transformation, the rivets now being large spikes. His mane now stood more erect giving him a much more serious appearance than when it was in his original wolf form.

The coming battle with his successor amused him, and he wished to know exactly what kind of power the light dwellers knelt before so readily. When finally he was able to see the pathetic dark lord he was unimpressed. He was tall and muscular for a human, and had a square chest and muscular arms and legs; all of it protected by black armor which was accented with bronze colored designs on the edges. Along with a metal head dress of sorts made of chains, with thick wires in the back and through his fiery orange hair that held a pale golden ruby in the middle of his forehead. Nothing about him impressed the wolf.

None of the armor would provide him any kind of protection either. The metal would fold and tear like paper when the fight began, the dark wolf's only hesitance came from the pure white sword Ganon held; remembering for himself the last time he had seen it. In that respect he could identify with the man, but that was as far as he would allow the comparison to go. His wolf form was one all his own, and the dark wolf was extremely pleased and proud and of it; and none were worthy to be compared with it.

"Gah ha ha ha!" Laughed Ganon, seemingly entertained by the dark wolf's appearance. He leaned on the arm rest of the throne and rested his chin in his hand, the other arm laid across the sheathed sage's blade. "What gnat has climbed to such heights to be squashed?" asked the evil king between bouts of laughter, genuinely amused.

"I have no name of my own; only what has been given to me," growled the wolf. He was now almost half way across the room, but he took his time savoring the conversation before the confrontation. The three figures around the triforce above the throne reminded him of his goal. The stone statues of the goddesses refocused him on the task he wished to accomplish, but his attention was diverted however when Ganon stirred on the throne.

"So! The gnat can speak," exclaimed the man in surprise as he rose from his seat, his sword firmly in hand; he watched the wolf approach with curiosity and a smug attitude. "Know that with each step you take, you bring yourself closer to your own doom," stated the usurper crossing his arms, "I hold the greatest power in all the realms; Light, Twilight, the Sacred realm….. all of them." He said, laughing again as he spread his arms in a 'W' like shape and shrugged.

"No," stated the wolf with excitement and amusement prevalent in his voice. "That is untrue. Can you not feel it?"

Ganon's expression changed at that. He became much more tense, and defensive. His smugness evaporating in seconds as he drew his sword, tossing the sheath to the side; it was just as the dark wolf remembered it. Pure white with curled cross guards, the blade its self being fairly long and caused major damage to any on the receiving end. He eyed it with anger and distaste, he had never been on the receiving end of it; but he had been on the receiving end of those who wielded such blades. His imprisonment was something he was almost thankful for; it had given him an infinite amount of time to plan what he had envisioned. It was exhilarating to be free once again, and he could not wait to set his plan in motion; it extended far past what this simpleton had envisioned, and he would accomplish things with the triforce that none had ever dreamed of.

"So….it is you then," replied Ganon flatly, knowing why the wolf had come now.

"Yes," agreed the dark wolf, drawing out the latter half of the word, making it far more menacing sounding. Stopping now about twenty feet from the throne, he waited for Ganon to make the first move, in conversation or battle.

"Then the victor here shall be the true bearer," remarked Ganon forcefully, while pointing his sword at the wolf but not advancing. So the wolf continued to walk towards the man, each step the wolf took caused him to become increasingly more tense and poised for action, quickly losing the humor all together.

"Yes, of course," agreed the dark wolf, rolling his eyes being somewhat irritated now. "What did you think I came here for? Were you so ignorant as to think I came here to chit chat," he continued with thick sarcasm in his voice. He was seriously beginning to wonder however, but his thoughts were rudely interrupted once again.

"SILENCE," roared Ganon, swinging his sword now at the wolf, but it was avoided easily. And it only connected with the stone he once stood upon, cracking it and sending torso sized chunks flying through the air. It was a mistake to do so however, and only resulted in causing a think dust to hang over the dark lord, leaving him unable to see his adversary; he crouched into a ready position and held the sage's sword tightly and at the ready. The next thing he heard was laughter; it was not a tense laugh brought on by battle or stress, but was actual mirth that rose and fell in waves and seemed almost omni-directional.

A low growl escaped his throat in response, as he tried to find his attacker through the dust. Pivoting on a central point Ganon rotated slowly in an attempt to cover every angle; but when the dust began to settle and he had yet to see the wolf he began to worry for the first time that he could remember.

As he rotated Ganon began to notice a shadow forming to his right, and quickly he turned to face it. Only to have the dark wolf's maw snap shut inches from his face. The several inch, seriated teeth did not faze him however, and instead of recoiling he grabbed the wolf around the nose and jaw in an attempt to gain the upper hand and slice its throat; ending the fight quickly. However before the dark lord could comprehend, their roles reversed leaving his left arm clamped between the now blood stained teeth of the wolf. Taking full advantage of the situation the wolf quickly snapped his head to the side, causing a loud pop to emanate from within Ganon's arm. The man howled in pain as blood erupted from his arm, and the black wolf released his hold and faded once again into the settling dust before it dissipated; even when it settled however he was nowhere to be seen, and the evil king took advantage of this quickly, stealing a glance at his arm.

From the elbow down it was completely bathed crimson, muscle and tendon cut to the bone in multiple places, and bent at an odd angle; rendering it useless and limp at his side. It would not affect his fighting however; nothing short of death would stop him, and this injury was nothing of the sort.

The wolf, now a shadow much like Midna was in the light realm; moved through the shadows of the room. Undetectable and silent as to put space between himself and the angry king, not that his mood mattered to the wolf; but anger was an emotion that could cause him to be a far more dangerous adversary than normal; the thought was almost appealing.

Emerging now from the shadows he resumed his wolf form, licking the blood from his ivory colored teeth; wanting every part of his wolf form unblemished and pristine. He stood between two of the large pillars now but made no attempt to hide, and watched Ganon from behind genuinely curious as to how he would react to the injury. And indeed it did manage to mildly surprise him.

Other than his initial reaction he hardly reacted to it at all, pausing for but a moment to inspect it; regarding it as nothing more than a simple inconvenience, and then promptly began to search for him. Leaving his arm to sag sadly at his side, discarded and forgotten; Ganon ignored anything not directly useful to him, and therein laid his demise, the wolf was not like that; he was far more calculating. He was also a far better strategist, and used everything to his own advantage, even his own enemies.

It took the dark lord only seconds to locate the wolf, and he almost regretted injuring his arm. It would have been an awesome test of power to fight against the man's boar form, but alas, it was already done. Walking towards him now the wolf wondered how this fight would end; he decided it would a grizzly end for the man because he was a person who would not beg, nor would he flee; for they both held a part of what the other wanted.

"What are you," spat the injured king with a half growl. Trying to better understand the one he faced, any piece of information could prove vital; he knew of many races and how best to eliminate them, and he hoped to find the wolf's weakness within his words.

"I am both nothing, and anything I wish," smiled the wolf. Amused by the man's reaction to his vague responses; it seemed to anger Ganon to no end, and for that reason he continued to do so. The wolf chuckled softly as the man's face reddened, "Oh! Seems I have struck a chord! Would you rather me lie, oh great king?" Mocked the wolf, laughing as he advanced; this was far more entertaining than he had first envisioned. But angering the man farther proved to be his own mistake causing the dark lord to charge much faster than expected, leaving the wolf little time to react.

Without the ability to fade into shadow Ganon's blow would have certainly connected; but with it the failed attack left the king vulnerable once again. This time when the dark wolf appeared it was in full view of the man, he knew it would not unnerve him but he did it anyway; just for the pleasure of it. "I must say…that was quite the impressive attempt," commended the wolf, nodding his head in mock approval.

Ganon had to have been holding back, seconds after finishing his sentence the king set upon the wolf, much faster than he had previously; and the wolf was unable to fully react in time, Ganon caught him just under the eye on the cheek bone. The momentum of the blade carrying it a short distance underneath his eye the curving downward to the bottom of his chin.

The dark wolf blinked once. Feeling the blood roll down his face, then drip onto the floor with a loud SPLAT, and then worst of all; seeing the soft white glow under his eye from the injury the sage's sword had caused. All thought ceased. His eyes began to glow a bloodthirsty red, irises and pupils giving way to a solid color. Gravity its self seemed to be affected by the wolf's rage, sending rocks and anything else lose on the floor into the air. Wisps of darkness, as if smoke, rose from his fur that now swayed in a nonexistent breeze.

It was obvious to Ganon what had caused the wolf's anger, but it was also apparent that he had lost all focus as he stared past him. Not really seeing anything and he planned on taking full advantage of it while he was able. Dashing towards the raging animal he attempted a stab at its chest; only to be flattened against the floor by a wall of the dark mist emanating from the wolf. Slowly turning his head, it fixated on him; bearing a vicious silent snarl.

"_LOOK AT..WHAT YOU..HAVE…..DONE_!" Roared the wolf at Ganon, his voice was now deeper and somewhat gravely; each word causing the castle to shake violently, as if it was a scared puppy and the wolf its violent master. Ganon just smiled in response, happy to be the one with the mental upper hand as he rose to his feet.

"Ga ha ha!…Were you so arrogant as to think in a duel to the death, you would not be injured?" Chuckled Ganon, putting some pressure on his arm now so as to not grow faint, the darkness rising from the wolf's dancing fur now growing thicker; as it rose from his body like a phantasmal black fire, obscuring his body.

"_ENOUGH_!" Raged the dark wolf, now bounding toward the man; the fire scorching the stone where he had stood and run across. The speed and fluidity with which the wolf ran amazed even Ganon, but he crouched and held his sword tightly, ready for him and whatever he may do.

After only a few long strides the wolf bounded into the air in an attempt to use his superior body weight against the smaller man; Ganon dodged to the side and threw his shoulder against the beast in mid-air, dropping him to the floor. However he spent almost no time there, in seconds he was back on his feet pounding his way back towards the evil king; ears flattened against his head, snarling and fuming the whole way.

This time there was an actual shred of thought put into his attack, and he made a small leap into the air, only as a feint and then swept Ganon's feet from under him with a massive paw. But this did not affect him for long either, managing to hold onto his sword upside down and push himself back into the air upright, and land on his feet.

This time they both charged, crashing together in a mash up of snapping teeth and flailing limbs as each of the titans tried to gain the upper hand. Ganon punching and kicking, the wolf attempting only to mutilate; snapping his giant maw anywhere near the space Ganon occupied. Realizing an opportunity had presented its self, the dark lord broke away from the ballistic animal, smashing his huge fist into its face once it came after him. It immediately yelped, then crumpled to the floor; the flame and the billowing of his fur slowed, and greatly decreased in intensity. Becoming only a shadow of what it once was, the waves in his fur moving in seemingly slow motion across his body now; the flame its self only a few feet in height.

Standing over the wolf now, Ganon took deep breaths. His body attempting to replace lost oxygen, and make up for the blood he was still losing. Taking a quick survey of the room, it surprised him just how much blood lay strewn upon the floor. But he could delay no longer; it was time to end this. Lifting the sword above his head he aimed the point of the sword so as to slip it between the beast's ribs. Mid strike however, the wolf dissolved into the floor before Ganon could stop himself; sending the sage's sword plunging only through stone, and sending up another spray of dust and debris.

Only this time when he tried to pull the sword from the stone it was unmoving, and steadfast. He tried one last time to remove it, but when it remained he began looking for the wolf. It roared again, with an unimaginable amount of rage and anger, shaking the castle violently. The wolf's eyes now glowed so brightly Ganon could now see them floating towards him. The pillars began to crack and break apart now, chunks of the roof tumbling down through the floor.

"_NOW YOU DIE_!" Bellowed the wolf, and the crimson eyes seemed to light a fire. Growing in size far beyond what should have been possible, and suddenly the pillars, all of them, exploded; and the roof married its self to the floor.


	17. Whispers of Wisdom

**Whispers of Wisdom**

The two wolves and Midna who had taken the long way around, now entered the twilight once again. They had traveled all the way from Ordona's province to the gate on foot to avoid being trapped by the dark wolf. The memories from their encounter with him still fresh in all of their minds, destroying confidence within the group. Once they fully entered the twilight however, Link and Annie became extremely ill.

As soon as they regained their senses from the transition between worlds they were immediately afflicted by a familiar unseen force. It was most certainly the dark wolf; however the feeling was slightly different than when he had first appeared. It affected them like a major migraine, but there were also minor physical effects as well. It was almost as if their bodies were electrified. "Something is wrong," explained Annie to Midna, who was unable to feel the sensation for some reason. The young princess only nodded her head in response, withdrawn and silent.

Quickly they raced as fast as possible after having already covered so much ground. What ever happened they could not let themselves be caught in the narrow passage with no way to escape. In seconds they reached the field with the view of the castle and the river, where Annie had made her first kill as a wolf. They spent almost no time reminiscing however, as their attention was drawn to the castle as the migraines intensified. The top most spire rocked and shook like an angry wind was trying to pull it down, there was no wind however; and the horrible noises radiating from it led them to believe otherwise with no hesitation. Suddenly there was horrendous explosion, causing a significant amount of dust to erupt from the now broken part of castle obscuring exactly what was happening. At that very moment it seemed as if lightning had struck the two wolves, dropping them to the ground instantly. They both writhed and twitched trying to regain control but to no avail; Link's triforce marking began to glow extremely bright; almost to the point where it hurt to look at it. Then, for the first time something began to glow on the back of Annie's right paw. It was faint at first, but quickly formed its self into a distinguishable shape. The light took the form of what resembled out stretched wings, with the head of a bird at the base of them and legs on either side of it. It was much like what was depicted throughout Hyrule as what held the triforce.

When the dust around the spire began to settle, the symptoms the two wolves were afflicted by begun to lessen. Allowing them to stand and regard the castle with awe and shock; the roof of the grandest tower was missing now, leaving an ugly hole where it had once been. Something extremely important had just happened, and Annie for the life of her could not figure out what was going on. So much was happening now that in no way seemed directly tied to the original story. Link fumed in response to what he had just seen, due to the fact there was the possibility Zelda could no longer be alive. Annie couldn't help but wonder if her presence here was causing all of these horrible events. If it were possible as a wolf, she would have certainly begun to break down and cry from the self-guilt, unable to live with the thought of her presence causing so much pain and suffering.

"_No…it is…not..your fault_," Whispered an unfamiliar voice. She raised her head and swiveled her ears hoping to pin point its location, for it seemed to have no discernible direction. "Wha..?" Questioned Annie somewhat distantly, hoping it would respond. Midna and Link gave her awkward, slightly annoyed looks, but that wasn't important right then. Their bad moods were caused by the recent events not her; so she forgave and ignored it, understanding their worries and concerns.

"_Not…your fault_," said the voice again softly. It had a strange comforting effect, despite how upset she had been just moments before. The voice sounded female, but it was oddly hard to determine, leaving Annie slightly skeptical of it and its motivations.

"How…" Began Annie, but she never got the chance to finish.

"_Speak…not. Think_." It informed once again. Annie focused on her companions once again; they still stared at her but with more concern than before. Beginning to wonder if the pressure and stress was causing her to lose her mind, "I…I'm fine. C'mon, we should get going," she suggested, "Nothing… Nothing good will come from looking at..THAT." Thankfully they both understood personal privacy, neither pressing any farther. Solemnly they set out, making their way back through the field; each doing their best not to remember the events of the past days. Even Link was in no hurry to get back to Castle town, being so determined to find Illia.

As they all walked across the grass Annie decided somewhat suspiciously to follow the voices instructions. "_So…How is this not my fault_," she asked mentally, thinking this was how people went crazy.

"_You…are not..the catalyst..but the….prohibitor_," when it had spoken before it had filled her with a great sense of warmth and happiness, chasing away the shadows that haunted her heart. But this time, it caused her to jump. It was eerie to have her thoughts heard, and it felt like an invasion of privacy in a way; to not have that one final place completely to herself was unsettling. And in all honesty she had never expected it to respond to her mental question, even in the land of Hyrule it seemed far outside the realm of possibility.

"_What_?" She asked, not fully comprehending the wording of the sentence; however she was not paying much attention to what she was actually doing. Which caused her to stumble slightly due to a minor pot hole in the road; Link turned quickly to see what was wrong while Midna just rolled her eyes halfheartedly, and for once kept silent. Annie quickly apologized and assured them she was alright, however neither seemed fully convinced, but they still moved on leaving her to herself.

"_You were…called..in response…to..the real cause_," it barely managed to whisper this time; seemingly growing weaker with each response.

"_Then…Who is_," inquired Annie, almost knowing the answer; but wanting the voices opinion. They reached the bridge now that spanned the river, and she was careful not to lose focus on where she was going and fall again. It was actually quite hard to focus on the mental conversation and where she was going at the same time; it was very similar to driving while talking on a phone, only a little less perilous.

"_The….Dark one_…" it responded meekly.

Annie's stomach flip flopped at the confirmation of her suspicions, knowing without a doubt she would end up facing the dark wolf to decide the fate of Hyrule. Reaching the field where the encounter with the wolf had occurred, she and everyone in the group cringed inwardly.

"_Who…who are you_," finally asked Annie. She was almost afraid of the answer, but the entity seemed far too pleasant to be harmful.

"_I…I can not…forgive…me. I must….rest_," and it said no more. Already Annie missed it, but she could not explain exactly why however. She was thankful for its comfort, but without it drawing her attention she was able to once again focus on what was happening around her. More importantly the place they had so recently escaped from, the field that led to Castle Town.

It hadn't changed in the slightest, nor had Annie expected it to; naturally anyway. Nature was powerful, but it did not work quickly. It could take years to make even the slightest change; what Annie had been concerned about was the dark wolf destroying the surrounding area. Like he had the castle, for she was fully convinced it had been him. Ganon would not have done so. He wished to rule not destroy, and that made Annie wonder what the wolf wished to accomplish.

Looking closely at the field it was still a serene and calming place to be, the trees and grass still swayed in the occasional breezes; monsters still lurked but they were of no consequence. It was places and moments like this that almost managed to convince her everything would be ok, and she almost hoped; it took only a fleeting thought however to pass through her mind to ruin it. Leaving her slightly depressed and downtrodden; they were all trying, but the internal turmoil prevented all three from being their normal selves, even with the help of mysterious voices.

When finally they reached the bridge that led to the town Link stood indecisively upon it. Scowling as he tried to work out the conflict within him, whether or not to enter the town and risk encountering the dark wolf to try and find Illia; or try and find the light spirit first. Minda just sat atop Links back, in her usual place; but still very detached. Since Ordona had spoken to her about the prisoner or the dark wolf, the mischievous twilight princess had hardly spoken or made eye contact with either of her companions. Annie couldn't tell if her change in behavior was caused by deep thought, or stress; either way Annie attempted to keep an eye on her genuinely concerned, despite the friction that had often passed between them.

Annie worried for them. She was equally affected by the dark wolf physically; just the thought of him made her shudder, and Annie hoped she would not have to face him for a long time to come. But Annie feared the events of the past few days had affected her companions on a much deeper emotional level. They were all hyper aware of their surroundings, jumping at the slightest noise or movement. Fraying their nerves even more, and worsening the moods of all three.

Link began to pace back and forth along the edge of the bridge now. He looked tense, with his head low and a silent snarl on his face. The conflict within him growing ever stronger, causing Annie's worry to increase as well. "Link...," called Annie, "I don't think we should go into town," she continued solemnly, knowing it would not be received well. Link growled angrily in response much like Annie expected he would, flattening his ears against his head greatly displeased by the thought. "Look… the twilight is obviously his element. We need to lift the twilight first before we look for Illia. It's the best chance we have."

Finding wisdom in her words, he looked thoughtfully at the town for a moment, relaxing a bit; Annie guessed he was giving Illia a mental apology for not coming to her aid directly. After a moment he walked down the stairs and stood a few feet in front of her, looking her in the eyes and waiting. After a few seconds of awkward silence and staring, Annie finally remembered neither he nor Midna knew the way to the spirits pool; though the young ruler of the Twili wouldn't have helped much either way.

"Let's try this way," stated Annie attempting to sound unsure, but heading towards the road that lead to Lake Hylia. It felt odd to lead her companions; Link had always been the leader, always the one who made the decisions. Determined to step up to the plate and assume his role, she walked confidently through the field, remembering the way easily; however she did not lead her companions straight to the road, but instead weaved through the field to avoid the baba serpents hidden within the tall grasses, along with other dangers. Neither of the wolves had the energy nor will to fight at the moment, so they gave anything unfriendly a wide birth to avoid unnecessary conflict.

When they reached the road leading to Lake Hylia it surprised Annie how similar it was to the one that led to the hidden village; the stone was the same dull grey, pot marked with darker bits of rock. Forming a small ravine much like the one they had come from not too long ago, there were differences however; one of the first being that it was much more open, allowing for more space to move, dodge, and escape if need be. The second was that the rock walls were much lower, preventing any of the shadow bulbins from getting an aerial advantage over the two wolves like they had done in the past.

The road its self was fairly flat and hard packed, with only a few ruts and potholes. It was obviously well tended; however Annie still hugged the shoulder for easier travel and for cover from the shadow bulbins she was sure lurked about. When they did encounter a bulbin archer in the road she broke into a relaxed run, something just fast enough to out run his aim. If they quickly passed him and ignored it there was a very small chance of him actually pursuing. They were almost to Lake Hylia anyway, and she wasn't overly concerned by their presence at the moment.

However when they reached the basin that had once been a far larger lake Hylia, a memory tore through her mind, the literal burning of the bridge. They were still a fair distance from the bridge its self but Annie had a very small amount of time to decide what she would do. She could think of no other way down to the bottom of the lake other than jumping off the side, but the idea of that wasn't exactly appealing. On the other hand she highly doubted that there was a way down past Falbi, and his flight by fowl game. Even if there was it still involved a rather large fall down into the water, in conjunction with the fact that she wasn't sure the water level was high enough to land in; for all she knew she could end up as a grease stain on the bottom of lake. For that reason Annie decided to stick with the bridge, that way she knew there was no chance of dying in the process.

That knowledge did nothing to dispel the unease she felt, but she had to do her best to avoid alerting her companions as to what was going on. Annie chose to focus on her surroundings instead to distract herself. The drained Lake Hylia was truly an impressive site to behold. It was made of the same light grey stone that comprised almost all of Hyrule's important structures. The gate to the bridge its self was almost identical to Eldin's, the closest comparison to it in her world that she could think of was the arc de triomphe in France; only with slightly less decoration, and more octagonal supports rather than the square ones on the arc. The bridge its self was impressive, suspended only by where it was connected to outcroppings of land hundreds of feet in the air. The legs that once supported it were broken off with no trace of their remnants; her imagination ran wild with dramatized scenarios that could have caused such damage.

Stepping onto the bridge now, the pungent smell of the oil attacked her sensitive nose; causing her to recoil slightly while trying to dispel the odor. Annie couldn't help but growl to herself, her tension growing with each step. She could feel the oil on the pads of her paws, souring her mood even more. If Annie had not caught the scent of it before or known from the game, she would have thought it was water much like Link. Ignorance was indeed bliss, and she made directly for the box that would be her escape route. Mere moments later, when Link crossed onto the bridge the shadow bulbin fired a lit arrow behind them; then another just in front of himself to trap the wolves between two walls of fire.

Annie violently threw her shoulder against the box, panicking; mere moments later Link was at her side helping her to push it against the wall. The gesture was extremely comforting to her, despite the fact he most likely helped for his own sake and Midna's as much as hers. She was finally beginning to feel like a part of the team, and not just someone they traveled with occasionally. These thoughts dispelled instantly however when the box touched the wall, her flight or fight instincts taking over and leaving little room for thought; and when Link gestured for her to go first there was no hesitation on her part. Quickly Annie jumped on top of the box and then the railing, and balanced there for a second while sending a mental prayer to any of the deities in Hyrule that may listen; figuring it couldn't hurt any, then jumped, her mind going completely blank.

* * *

><p>The next sensation she felt was a prodding at her ribs. Annie heard a voice which she soon recognized as Midna's. "Is she dead," asked the young princess and a few more pokes followed. There was a growl shortly after, as if to scold her; and Annie groaned as she opened her eyes, her body horrifically sore.<p>

They were on the edge of the 'Lake' now; and she was half in and out of the water with Link standing in front of her, Midna at her side. Who drew her arm away from Annie in a flash, to try and hide the fact she was the one who had been poking her. Annie just sighed, not very eager to get up and moving; Link looked at her with genuine concern, trying to make sure nothing was broken. "I'm alright," Annie reassured while pulling herself stiffly to her feet. She began to shake the water out of her fur but stopped almost as soon as she started, her muscles and joints screaming at her for doing so.

She sighed again hanging her head low, "let's go…" she stated forlornly, but waited for Link to lead the way. He turned and began walking towards the quirky Fyer and his cannon, showing no signs of being sore or injured from the fall. She despised him in a sense for being able to hide the pain or be lucky enough not to feel it.

When finally she began to follow, her mind cleared some; allowing her to take in the surrounding area. Unlike in the game, looking back at the body of water she had been pulled from it seemed almost alive. The amount of fish trapped within the relatively small body of water was astounding, along with the relative lack of silt; the place amazed her. Annie's thoughts however were sharply interrupted when Midna landed on her back like heavy stone, sitting just behind her shoulders and the collar. In turn causing Annie's joints and muscles to spout murmurs of discontent, making her body shudder for a moment in an attempt to wither away from the source of the pain.

Annie bristled, mentally spouting vulgarity towards the princess; until that is, she managed to catch a poorly concealed sigh of relief on Link's part. It made her smile, dissipating the anger and leaving her only amused. She even managed to politely ask Midna why she had done so, getting a 'because you were closer' kind of response. Link, free from the extra weight now made better time, putting more distance between him and Annie; reaching Fyer's place already, while Annie was only half way there.

"What do you know about the dark wolf," Annie asked Midna bluntly, deciding it best to address the most likely reason behind her changed attitude head on.

"…That he threatens all realms. My own, yours, even the sacred realm," she explained halfheartedly, waving her hand in the air for emphasize; while stretching across Annie's back as if she was laying on a beach chair. "And he doesn't want to just rule them, we would be far better off if he did. He wishes to destroy them," continued the princess with ice in her voice, "Or at least how we know them."

"What?" Bit back Annie, unable to contain her disbelief, craning her neck to look back at Midna. "What could he hope to accomplish by that?"

"He wishes to gather all of the triforce for himself, giving him enough power to challenge the goddesses themselves," explained the young Twili ruler seething with anger and hatred.

"How does that affect our worlds and explain why he wants to destroy them?" Asked Annie not understanding the gravity of the situation, mere seconds after she finished her sentence however Midna violently grabbed one of her ears. Pulling hard to bring her head back as far as physically possible, then the petite girl stared at Annie; shaking from the strength and depth of her anger.

"How could that affect our WORLDS?" Hissed Minda, "If one could confidently challenge the gods, then they possess the power of gods! Able to destroy entire worlds and create them! Try and think for a moment about what a world created by HIM might be like little doggy," seethed Midna "I know it must be hard for you to do so, but try!" Nothing but hatred and thick sarcasm lined her voice, Link now half way to the outcropping where he would battle the shadow bulbin mounted on one of large bird, now turned, curious as to what was going on. He looked at them both with ears perked, eyes young and happy, which dissipated some when he noticed the altercation between the two girls. He sauntered back to where Annie stood, still held in place by the enraged princess, and growled quietly to break her attention.

Midna promptly released Annie's ear, who shook her head shortly after to release the tension built up within her neck muscles. The princess wordlessly transferred back to Link, still highly agitated; but Link just turned and trotted back the way he had been going to begin with, leaving Annie to follow like usual. For a moment she stood in place and watched him, curious as to what had so suddenly changed his mood. After a moment when she still could not place it Annie shrugged it off, glad that he was in a better mood, and followed.

She was only half way in between Fyer's place and the out cropping when Link reached it, engaging the aerial bulbin promptly. Annie almost felt bad for not trying to catch up and help, but it was a minor battle. There was absolutely no way he couldn't handle it on his own, and watching the fight he almost seemed to be enjoying the physical excursion.

When Annie reached the area where Link fought she contented herself to lie down for a while and rest. She watched intently, just in case she was needed and out of respect. Despite the news Midna had just shared with her, Annie couldn't help but be content. She felt the sun of the twilight realm on her back, and realized that was exactly what had caused Link's mood to change. It warmed her body and her heart, lessening the pressure everyone felt; which was welcomed by all with open arms.


	18. A Hero's Path

**A Hero's path**

**AN: Ok…So I'm not going to lie to you. I really hated writing this chapter for some reason, so I apologize if that has affected its quality. But all the same I hope you enjoy it, and please review and let me know how I'm doing. **

Roughly twenty feet from Iza, the lady who ran the boat rental shop, Annie laid with her forelegs crossed, her head resting upon them. After defeating the aerial bulbin Link had insisted Midna take the journey up the river with her first, which had been far more perilous and terrifying than Annie had imagined. In the end she decided to take the gesture as chivalrous, for if Annie had gone after Link and something had happened she would have had to rescue herself, which was far from an appealing thought.

She did not preoccupy herself with those thoughts very long though, and instead tried to ponder things of greater importance. Like the voice that she had heard some hours ago, along with what Midna had revealed to her. Annie still could not place an identity of it, and wondered how it knew what it did. Knowledge of where the dark wolf came from, who he was, and anything in general was sparse to say the least. The only ones that Annie knew had any kind of knowledge of him were Midna, and the light spirits, leaving her to wonder if the voice was another member of the Twili royal family, who had been tasked with guarding him. Thinking on it harder though, Annie remembered the wolf had been released by Zant, due to the fact there had been no one to guard his prison. Leaving her clueless once again, but she still asked mental questions periodically, hoping it might respond again. Knowing it was futile, but having to try all the same.

Her thoughts soon shifted however to the implications of what Midna had told her about the dark wolf's motives. If it was true he wished to obtain all of the triforce, then it was only a matter of time before he came after Link, Zelda and herself. Having the task of facing the dark wolf, when it came time to, and when he could possibly become as powerful as a god, thrust upon her left her slightly bitter. At who, or what Annie couldn't specify. Though Illumous had been given to her by the spirit Eldin, she was unsure if the goddesses had chosen her for the responsibility, if it was fate, or even the sword its self.

Then there was the winged marking that had appeared on the back of her right paw, which had by now faded, but began to appear once she thought of it. Annie wondered what it meant and what she now embodied. It was all so very mind boggling, and it left her mind cluttered and noisy. So she decided to look over her surroundings instead, nature had a way of cleaning out her thoughts and leaving her in a far better mood.

The first thing her eyes set upon however was the floating spirit of Iza, and the building she worked in. The building had a motley arrangement of colors and decorations on the walls, from boat paddles to blue and red decorations. It seemed as if it were an old building, with its thatched roof and old panel board siding. It sat across a slender tributary of the main river, and Annie thought it all quiet odd, but she couldn't begrudge them for attempting to make the place a little more attractive.

Losing curiosity in the building itself Annie turned her attention back to the floating orb that was the spirit of Iza; wondering if she would actually be able to see the shop keeper if she focused hard enough. Annie looked at Iza out of the corner of her eye, not really moving her head, and focused intently. Within seconds she was able to see her, and it surprised Annie just how easy it had been.

Iza was a young woman, most likely in her early twenties, thin and relatively good looking. Her hair was in a massive bun above her head, held up by a peach colored band that had some sort of design on it Annie couldn't make out. She almost felt bad watching Iza shiver on the steps to her building, being horribly underdressed for the cold caused by the rivers freezing. She wore a slightly revealing, sleeveless navy blue top that left her whole midsection exposed, with cerulean colored pants attached to leather suspenders, and waist high dark purple boots covered with swirling designs.

All in all Annie was glad to be visiting this place as a wolf, still perfectly comfortable despite the chill. She longed to be her own self again though, no matter what kind of benefits being a wolf brought, a part of her brain still told her it was wrong. The biggest thing she missed however was the familiar weight of Illumous in her hand; it was still with her in the form of the collar, but it was hardly as useful.

She sighed, growing bored of just laying around waiting. Contemplating exploring some, but with her luck Link and Midna would arrive just as she got out of sight. The answer as to what she would do was soon answered for her however, in the form of wing beats fast approaching. Rising immediately to her feet she hoped it was Link and Midna, Annie could think of no one else who would use the same means to travers the river, but her time here in Hyrule left her suspicious of anything she couldn't see.

Her suspicions were dispelled quickly however, when both of her companions became visible. It only took them a few moments to land beside her and take in the surroundings, partially due to the fact there was nothing dangerous around. They greeted each other, happy to see one everyone whole and well despite the brief amount of time they had been separated.

As they set off down the slight hill, and then up the frozen river Annie glanced at her paw once again. Almost hoping she had imagined it, but as soon as it crossed her thoughts the mark began glowing again, drawing the curiosity of Link and Midna. They never uttered a word, but their expressions and eyes asked the question themselves. "I have no idea," stated Annie truthfully, searching their faces hoping they would believe her, "You have any idea what this means Midna?" Continued Annie, hoping beyond hope that the young ruler had an answer.

Midna rose off of Link's back then, and floated down on to the ground in front of Annie, and stared at the marking with a scowl. "I have heard nothing of a mark such as this," the princess responded, staring wondrously at it. "Can you hide it?" She continued looking Annie in the eyes.

"Yeah, long as I don't think about it," shrugged Annie, as the mark began to fade.

"Good. Don't think about it then," replied Midna playfully. But of course, as soon as the words escaped her mouth the mark began to glow brightly.

"He he he, doggy doesn't listen well does she?" Laughed Midna, rising slightly to pat Annie forcefully under her chin.

"Weren't we supposed to be going somewhere?" Growled Annie, quickly becoming aggravated, Midna laughed sarcastically and came to rest once again upon Link's back. Prodding him in the sides like a horse to get him moving again, who just rolled his eyes happily and began walking, looking back out of the corner of his eye to make sure Annie followed.

As they reached the ice was slippery, but not excessively so. Allowing for generally easy travel, and keeping her and Link from sliding awkwardly all over the place. They still took their time however, airing on the side of caution not wanting to cause preventable injuries. As the waterfall that led to Zora's domain came into view Annie sighed inwardly, realizing it might very well be a painful climb. There were plenty of foot holds to get to the top, but it was still ice, and plenty of opportunities to fall.

Most of the surrounding area was covered in ice, leaving them in a white basin. Making it impossible for Annie to distract herself with her surroundings, and having to focus on the coming climb, Link going first, following Midna as she attempted to find the best and safest way up. Annie tentatively followed, unsure of how far she could jump, having never had the opportunity to find out.

It felt very odd to be held up and supported by something that looked as if it was still moving. It wasn't too slippery and supported her weight, so she didn't complain. After a few unsteady jumps and landings, and a small heart attack Annie found herself on a ledge that ran along the side of the rock face. She let out a sigh of relief, trying to shake out the nervousness. Only to then realize they were only half way up, leaving her less than excited. But still she pressed on, knowing it would only help her later on down the road.

The second half of the climb far faster, mostly due to the fact Annie's nerves had died some, and she knew roughly what to expect. Her footing was much better as well, helping her to be more confident and thus move faster. Reaching the top her legs shook some from the strain of jumping and balancing on the ice, but it was nothing a gentle walk couldn't fix.

It was a truly amazing place, intricate designs in what Annie guessed was very old coral, to form a sort of entrance gate. Whether it had been carved into its current shape, or grew that way she was unsure, but it was still equally impressive and no less elegant either way. The throne room itself was circular, with three steps leading down to the water (now ice), with many coral pillars extending from the floor to roof, with highly intricate designs connecting them. The throne itself sitting on the far end of the room, however entering it left Annie with sensory overload; the shear amount of spirits that lay trapped within the ice was almost appalling. Almost their entire race lay imprisoned within it, and the amount of information sent to her brain by her overly sensitive senses left her mind as clear as mud. She barely even registered Midna speaking to Link about something 'hot', Annie was more transfixed with the scene frozen below her. Shortly following there were words directed towards her, but Annie was hardly paying attention and responded with an absent minded 'yeah whatever'.

After a few moments of peace and quiet, she finally managed to get a hold of herself, only to realize she was alone. Link and Midna had left apparently, off to find something to melt the ice and save the zora's. She sat on her haunches and fumed, mostly at herself, for being so stupid.

"_Do not anger young hero,"_ spoke a voice gently behind her. It had a sad note to it, turning quickly Annie came to face the ghost of Rutela, the former queen of the zora's. "_They have a path to follow, as do you. And those paths do not always converge, but come together and separate as necessary_," continued the former queen, a great sadness in her eyes as she looked upon her frozen brethren.

Annie couldn't help but marvel at the queen, she was quite stunning. Her 'hair' was dark pink along the top, and took on a more golden tint past the top of her cheeks. Her body was accented with soft pinks, with a split up what Annie assumed was her tail, that also had three white folds on one side of her hip, giving it more of gown appearance. The jewelry she wore was exquisite as well; the main part of it looked like a chocker, with soft pink petals around it. Below that three ocean blue stones set in gold fittings that rested near her collar bone, the two outer most stones having golden chains attached to them, which traveled down to her midsection, holding a pendent resembling the Zora's sapphire in place.

"At least they know what they have to do, and where to go to do it," finally mumbled Annie, feeling completely lost and worthless.

"_Ah, yes. You have assumed the mantel of a long forgotten hero, and the knowledge of the path one such hero should follow, has also been all but lost_," confessed Rutela, "_However it does exist, within a chosen few, I being one of them." _

"What?" Questioned Annie, just to confirm the queen's statement, "but..you're…" she began again, only to think better of the intended statement.

Rutela smiled warmly at her, seeing her face flush after what the young girl thought had been an insult.

"_Do not worry young hero…one's time must always come. And even in death we chosen few are tasked with guiding the forgotten one, though the knowledge is passed from generation to generation, I am here to guide you in my sons stead_" explained Rutela sadly, moving now towards the throne, motioning for Annie to follow. As the queen neared it she laid a finger upon it, causing the throne to throb with a gentle blue light, and then disappeared completely. Leaving a hole where it once sat, stairs extending down into the darkness. Annie could only stare between Rutela and the hole, unwilling to enter until some explanation of it was given.

"_It is your test, and your task. Once you enter you will be sealed within until it is completed_," warned Rutela moving off to the side. Annie tentatively walked up to the hole, staring down it for a moment, trying to discern what might lay in wait.

"I have no choice do I?" Asked Annie, looking at the queen with a downtrodden expression.

"_Everyone has a choice, just as you do_," assured Rutela, "_the question is can one's self live with the repercussions of those choices?" _

"No choice it is," Responded Annie harshly, less than pleased with the false hope, and descended into the darkness, concentrating so she wouldn't be taken by surprise or run into anything dangerous.

The passage way it's self was surprisingly narrow, and had no lighting of its own, leaving her completely in the dark once the entrance sealed, but her senses allowed her to navigate it with ease. Annie almost thought she would have been able to navigate it without them, having only a few inches on either side of her. The stairs leading down were a bit uneven, some being shallow and others being quite far apart, but nothing that wasn't manageable for it left Annie wondering, it somehow seemed weird.

The walls, and even the floor and roof were covered in small divots caused by fast moving water that once flowed through the passage way. The rock was a dull grey blue, and had bits of shells and fish bones scattered throughout it. Water dripped from the roof and down onto the floor with a loud 'plop', repeated in many places and at various time intervals. It was intriguing, but made it far harder to listen for enemies.

"_Have fait O daughter of wisdom, for no evil is permitted within these walls,"_ soothed a voice, but Annie knew it was not the one she longed to return. It was feminine, but stern, commanding, and powerful, causing her to stop dead in her tacks. The beings conscience felt vast, and was in no way like the others, it seemed far more restrained and not as concerned with her welfare.

"_Fret not, I am here only to help guide you_," it spoke once again, seeming as if it were reverberating through the narrow passage way. Though as hard as Annie concentrated she could not see anyone down the straight corridor, "_here, in your thoughts. Now, forward. You have much to do,_" it continued.

"yeah, cuz the mysterious voices are ALways trust worthy," mumbled Annie to herself, as she descended farther into the depths of the hall more tense and stressed than anything.

"_Do not insult me mortal being, you may wield the blade of Illumous, but no weapon wielded by man will protect you from my anger_," the voice warned.

Annie chose not to respond, not wanting her frustrations to end up killing her and kept walking as the hall way began to open up into a circular room. It was far from a perfect however, looking more like a lumpy circle, similar to a piece of rolled out dough. At the far end sat a misshapen rectangular stone, which leaned sadly to one side. As she got closer to it Annie was able to make out words written on it, but would have to get much closer to actually read them.

"_Here lays your first challenge_," the voice informed, "Only by solving it will you be able to proceed."

Again Annie was silent, and just kept moving towards the stone, curious as to what kind of challenge awaited her. As she drew closer to the stone the letters and words began to glow a similar soft blue to what the throne had, but the color stayed and pulsated slightly, giving the stone almost a breathing appearance. Looking closely now Annie inspected the words, which read

**Ancient blood back to the beginning we carry**

**In the shadows we served, all who crossed us now be wary**

**Few in numbers, but forever we will last**

**Many a guiding light to heroes long since passed **

Annie just sat there, looking at and rereading the words over and over again, unsure as to what she was supposed to do, and in turn how to progress. "_Solve it. Speak the answer and the door shall open_," commanded the voice, seeming bored now with the inactivity. But she had absolutely no idea as to the answer, and only found herself wishing the first voice, the one that was so warm and caring would return to help her. "_THINK_!" commanded the voice once again, but far more forceful and aggravated, "_you were chosen for a reason, you must prove yourself worthy and quickly. You have no time to waste_."

"Fine," responded Annie meekly while taking yet another look at the words, attempting to break it down line by line. 'Ancient blood' and 'the beginning' obviously referenced to and very long heritage, whether actual or not she had yet to determine, but that meant it was almost definitely something she was already familiar with. The second line seemed to tell of something often times instrumental, but not recognized on a large scale, but instead kept secret. It also mentioned those who had been on the receiving end of it had regretted it, making it a powerful item, person, or people. The third told of something that was not common but ever present, helping to drive home the fact that Annie knew of the answer, as did the final line. Telling of how the answer had played some kind of role in many of the hero's journeys.

"Ummm…A lantern?" Guessed Annie, hoping the mention of 'blood' hadn't been literal and 'guiding light' had. Thinking on it a moment later the line about enemies being wary didn't make much sense, but it could burn things which made some sense to her. The pulsating color on the stone dimmed in response to her words, almost fading completely. Only after several very tense moments did it return, pulsating once again as if it were alive and breathing sleepily.

"_Your answer was incorrect_," stated the voice flatly, far from excited or caring in any way.

"I got that," retorted Annie, feeling like she was being undermined. Thinking harder Annie guessed the answer must be a person or group of people, she could think of no other weapon that would apply. Annie ran through the races of Hyrule mentally, from the Zora's, Goron's, Hylian's, and then finally her mind touched upon the Sheikah, after several long moments of thinking. Who made perfect sense, they had existed since the first hero's time, and served the royal family and as their guards and attendants, much like the secret service that protected the president and family in the U.S.

When she spoke the clans name aloud the writing on the stone in front of her began to glow fiercely, then the stone its self a blinding soft blue. Much like the throne had when Rutela had opened the passage way. After the light had faded some, Annie looked where the stone had once stood there was another passage way. Leading farther down into the depths of the dungeon, and to far more difficult challenges Annie was sure.

"_Well done, now on to the next_!" Exclaimed the voice, more lively than it had been in the past moments, but it still seemed far from genuinely enthusiastic. Annie ignored it once again and entered the second hall way, which were vastly different from the first. The walls still had small divots from fast moving water, but they seemed old and worn, like someone had taken a buffer to them but only half finished the job. Water still dripped from the roof just as it had done before, but that seemed like the only thing that had stayed the same. The stairs were more evenly spaced, but still had some uneven ones which managed to sneak up on her causing her to stumble slightly. The stone its self was different as well, being a slightly brighter blue color, with less fish bones and shells in it. It was also much longer, and Annie felt as if she walked for a long while and distance, and only then the single change came from scenes carved into the walls.

Annie stopped walking for a moment to look at them, transfixed by the history that they told of. Most of it told of battles former hero's had endured, but some were past struggles of Hyrule its self, in troubles beyond that of heroes and villains. It told of times of drought and famine, and those of vast and wide spread flooding. It was pictorial history of Hyrule, but was far from up to date and told of a past long forgotten and extended down the hallway and into the darkness, stretching farther and farther into the past at the same time. Some of the depictions were actually quite disturbing, but Annie laughed when she noticed the runes above the images. They were the ancient Hylian runes, the ones often depicted in the games, but the first two long and slender runes combined with circular ones separated by an 'm' looking set, brought only the word llama to mind. The combination of disturbing images and 'llama' left her laughing aloud, remembering a mantra often sung by her and her friends just for laughs.

"_Those runes mean 'The history' or 'the path', not those infernal creatures, have respect mortal being. You may learn something about your own if you pay attention,_" the voice said angrily, her mind and room reverberating with the force of the words. Quickly Annie continued down the steps, keeping an eye on the scenes played out on the walls, but a little more mindful of her thoughts. Trying to forget the fact she was sealed within these walls, and had more challenges still to face.


	19. Mind Over Matter

**Mind Over Matter**

**AN: Sorry this one took so long guys! I just started school over the past couple of days and it had a profound effect on the amount of writing I got done. As always I hope you enjoy and please don't forget to review!**

It had taken a considerable amount of time and walking, but Annie eventually found herself within another circular room. It was very similar to the previous one, about the same size and shape, only a more uniform circle. The major difference being the two paths that led out of the room, with another stone like the first standing between them, slightly askew but far straighter than the one before it. These things confused Annie, the farther she descended into the caves past the better the craftsman ship of the things within it.

"_Because you are reaching the center, the farther you descend into this place the purer it will become, and the closer you will come to wisdom. That is your goal_," explained the voice in a neutral manner. It seemed far less aggravated and demanding, but Annie didn't question it or ask for further explanation, the improvement was welcome and so she let it be.

Reaching the stone now Annie read the inscription carved into it,

**In circles time and history travel**

**Only with the knowledge of the past will the mystery unravel**

**Tread softly but mindful O hero**

**For only the truth will ensure your survival**

Annie didn't even pretend to understand what it meant; she was more focused on being able to move forward instead of being trapped within the room like before. Looking at the two passageways now she attempted to pick up anything that might give away what lay within them. Swiveling her ears Annie attempted to catch any unusual noise or sound, unable to see more than a few yards down their length. After not finding any major differences between the two she shrugged, and proceeded down the left hallway.

Unlike the corridors before, this one had no stairs and was completely flat. The walls were bare once again, covered only with the worn divots, the pictorial history of Hyrule missing now. She wished it were still there, it had been fascinating and informative, most of all though it had offered a distraction from the current events.

Trotting now to save some time Annie came across another passageway leading off to her right forming a 'Y' like intersection. She stopped to look at it for a moment, but chose to follow the straight path to keep herself from getting lost. Mere moments later the hall began to open up into another room and Annie marveled at her luck. Able to find the third challenge in the matter of minutes, her happiness soon evaporated however when the room came into full view.

It was the same room she had left, the stone baring the inscription along with both hallways on either side of it, "wha….?" Annie asked aloud, unable to comprehend how she had turned in a circle when she had walked in a straight line.

"_It appears to be a labyrinth_," stated the voice, but in a manner that left Annie with the metal image of the being rolling her eyes. Returning once again Annie chose to focus on the inscription carved into the stone, she huffed angrily at it, the first line making all too much sense now; however Annie had no clue as to what she was supposed to remember to help her find the correct path through this place. She was determined however to figure it out scientifically, through trial and error she hoped to find the correct path to the next challenge.

Heading down the left passageway again Annie loped through it, impatient and frustrated. She was looking for the split off she had seen before, hoping it might lead her to the next challenge or at least deeper into the maze. It took her only a few moments to do so, and entering it she slowed back to a walk, cautious of what it might lead to.

Her worries were laid to rest however, when it was no different than the one she had just come from. The endless identical corridors were really beginning to irk her, and as Annie walked it still felt as though she were on a tread mill, going through the act of moving but never really going anywhere. So it hardly surprised her when she ended up back in the room with the two hallways and the stone.

Pacing back and forth in the center of the room, Annie fantasized about breaking things. Growling and snarling as she continued to pace, it being the only way she was able to dispel the anger. She was beginning to hate being a wolf, unable to express herself in any way that was familiar. Thinking on it however, Annie decided it was probably best she was a wolf; she could only picture herself hitting one of the walls and breaking her hand in the process.

"_Why don't you take another look at the stone? It's there for a reason_," offered the voice, sincere in tone for the first time.

"I GOT this!" Bit back Annie frustrated and confused, though she wouldn't have admitted it, "What am I even trying to accomplish here anyway?" She continued, trying to distract herself from her current situation as much as she was genuinely curious.

"_As I said, your goal is to find the physical incarnation of wisdom. With it you will temper the blade of your sword_," explained the voice, seeming to grow bored again when Annie entered the hallway to the right. She walked through it quickly, hardly paying attention anymore.

"How's THAT going to happen? If you haven't noticed, I'm still a wolf," Annie spat venomously, "and the sword is a collar."

"_When you near it, you will resume your original form_," explained the voice with more of an edge to it than before. That knowledge however made Annie pick up her pace from an angry walk, to a fast paced trot. More than eager to be her normal self again as she hurried through the corridors, growing almost claustrophobic.

It took no time for the path to split like the other had, only it did so into three at equal angles to each other. Once again however Annie focused solely on the one directly in front of her, never slowing down she hit an invisible wall and crumpled to the floor. The doorway she had attempted to travel through rippled with a soft light, and then became the same stone that Annie had found so aggravating.

"GRAAW!" she exclaimed, partially in pain, but mostly out of shock and annoyance. Annie curled up at the base of the wall and laid there for a moment, attempting to gather herself, and dissipate some of the emotional stress. She was mostly unsuccessful in both regards, but unable to get herself to continue either.

"_You WILL die here if you just give up_," stated the voice calm but firm.

"Not….helping…," Annie mumbled back, hardly audible, even to her own sensitive ears.

"_Are you so selfish to let Hyrule die because you got frustrated_?" This time it was far more accusing, "_You are a HERO….or..you were supposed to be. About time you lived up to that title._" Annie meant to respond, however she never got the chance. Seconds later she found herself on her feet and walking through the halls, having never commanded her limbs to do so, and unable to keep her legs from moving on their own accord.

"Gah! What's happening?!" She stammered, tripping over her own words due to fear and confusion.

"_I am saving you from yourself. Know that you disgrace the title you carry_," the voice stated harshly, throwing the accusation in her face, and within moments the entity had brought her once again back to the room with the stone. Walking her up to it now, the voice almost forced Annie's face into the stone. "_READ IT!_" The voice commanded savagely,"_and THINK this time_!"

Annie sighed inwardly, but read the stone once again as she was told, and attempted to figure it out as she should have in the first place. Looking at it again, whatever she was supposed to remember was obviously something she could still use. Or she hoped that was the case, if any of the challenges were unable to be solved while she was a wolf there was no way of surviving this. The voice had not expressed any concern over this however, so Annie chose to think positively on the matter.

"_You would not be here if unable to complete the tasks in any physical form. Though your mental state seems to be another matter_," the voice informed flatly, but with a tone of bitterness, "_think_," it repeated once again.

Annie was beginning to wonder about those words, and why it said them over and over again, without ever specifying what she should think on. Regaining full control of her body now she sat, ruminating over multiple things at once. Looking down at her paw her thoughts touched upon her ultimate goal, and the mark, making it appear once again, however that was not what caught her attention. As the winged mark began glowing and casting light upon the walls, something caught Annie's attention, it was minuscule but there had been a change in the entrance of the left hallway.

It was almost as if another image had been overlaid on the entrance. Annie stared at it wondrously, intrigued by the occurrence and how it might befit her. Curious she let all thoughts of the mark fade from her mind, and as the light disappeared so did whatever had changed in front of the hallway. Carefully she walked through its entrance, wondering if it still existed, and if she could enter it still. When she did this easily, it left her puzzled but got the gears in her brain moving none the less.

Attempting to recreate what she had seen, Annie let her mind fill with thoughts of the mark, trying to get it to glow as fiercely as possible. Again the entrance reacted to the light, slighty more so than the previous time, but still barely visible. Trying to find a better source of light, Annie focused on Illumous which also glowed in response to her thoughts, in turn causing a phantom wall to seemingly solidify as the light increased. Reaching out to the space where the entrance had once been Annie's paw hit solid rock in the place of empty air mere moments before.

"Huh!" Exclaimed Annie wondrously, and turning to the passageway to the right, wondering if it would do the same. Illumous still shining as she stood in front of it, nothing happened, remaining exactly as it had been the entire time.

Having nowhere else to travel Annie paced down the only pathway available to her, concentrating as hard as she could on Illumous to keep it glowing and reveal the true path through the labyrinth. And as she walked hallways appeared and vanished in seconds, constantly shifting and changing the lay out of the entire dungeon. Making it impossible for Annie to even attempt to remember how she had gotten where she was, or in which direction she was now traveling.

As she walked farther and deeper into the cave it began to change once again, lifting Annie's spirits. The divots began to disappear and make way for smooth, damp walls, and the flat floor broke into steps deeper into the depths of the earth, and straight hallways turned into winding, curving path ways.

It all felt so much more natural and easy going, entering a more natural flow instead of the harsh exactness of the straight corridors, helping to calm Annie's mind and helping her to focus better. The change also spoke of the presence of the third challenge, and though she may not have finished the previous one, it was thankfully coming to a close.

However she kept Illumous shining, and planned on doing so until she found the third stone, unwilling to restart the challenge and walk the entire distance once again. Much to her disappointment however the visual history of Hyrule did not reappear, or at least in the manner she would have liked, it was now crude and unsophisticated. Resembling the ancient cave paintings that Annie had seen painted by early man. It was still intriguing, but hardly as intelligent or informative.

It was hardly on her mind for an instant however, as the hallway she walked through began to change drastically, in a far different manner than it had any previous time. Certain sections of the walls began bulging out and protruding vertically from the floor to the roof, and as she walked those protrusions began to take on a far more recognizable shape, becoming evenly spaced pillars. All equally distanced from one another with one on each side of the hallway. Shortly after it had become obvious as to what the pillars were, yet another change began to take place, as stairs began to seemingly ripple out of the stone to form upward stairs after a short distance, that were separated by flat platforms also at regular intervals.

The stone itself began to almost shine, and the water dripping from the roof became more of a steady flow down the walls, somehow never finding its way onto the stairs. Annie assumed there must have been some sort of path to direct the water away with, though she was unable to locate it. She was far more fascinated with the changes anyway, and was hardly paying attention to such things.

Annie traveled in awe for several moments, attempting to take in all of the changes fully, but it all still amazed her no matter how long she marveled at it all. "What's going on…?" She finally asked, letting her curiosity get the better of her.

"_You are reaching the third and final challenge. It is your own, and I will not be able to assist you once you enter…"_ the voice stated flatly, with an almost forlorn undertone.

"Enter wha…..oh…" came Annie's response as the stairs and hallway gave way to a huge square room, with the pillars that had been parts of the walls now free standing except for where they connected to the floor and roof. The ceiling was exceptionally high, with the pillars a couple twenty or so feet into the room, forming an inner square. But leaving plenty of room in the middle of the room, it being several hundred feet long and wide, however the most impressive feature of the room was the giant ornate door frame that stood at the other end of the room.

The door was wooden and had a rounded top, like most of the doors within dungeons throughout Hyrule, with the symbol of the goddesses of wisdom painted onto it, and was normal except it had an amazing golden carving surrounding it and was adorned with a multitude of precious metals. These metals had been crafted by metal workers with talent and patience beyond what Annie had ever seen or dreamt of, and they formed a kind of still life. A scene that took her breath away, and captivated her no matter how long she stared at it, and as she walked Annie couldn't help but stumble every now and again unable to take her eyes off of it.

Out of the precious metals a giant, golden, twisted, tree was carved. It was truly massive, with knobby and wandering branches seemingly grasping for sunlight. Its trunk enveloped the door, while its roots meandered down to the bottom of the wall and then were lost as they met the floor. Its leaves were made of various shades and shapes of green gems; it was a tree of great age, and wisdom, making perfect sense to Annie.

As Annie reached the door she stared at the tree once again, completely bewildered by the intricacy of it all. Once her attention shifted to the door its self however, Annie's thoughts soon darkened, as she was unable to find any way to open it. There were no handles or ropes to pull or turn, nor did it move when she pushed on it.

Perplexed she turned away from the door and golden tree, in an attempt to keep her mind clear. Only, when she did so it did exactly the opposite. In the center of the inner square stood a likeness of her, much like the doppelgangers the dark wolf created, only it looked much more like her and seemed far more human, nor did it seem to be created by evil and darkness. It was almost void of color, but had ripples of light passing through or within its body, Annie was unsure as to which was happening.

The phantom was in her human form, holding a likeness of Illumous, head tilted down so it's hair covered its eyes. Annie wondered how she would battle this new kind of phantom with is superior reach, only as she looked down at the floor Annie noticed in the place of paws and fur, were boots. Realizing she had turned back into her normal self she did a double take of herself, checking over her tunic, sword and bow.

The tunic was now once again completely clean, free from any stains. While Illumous rested within its sheathe, and the bow across her shoulder. Looking back at the figure however, she noticed it hadn't moved since it first appeared. Never taking her eyes off of her copy she drew Illumous for the first time in what seemed like ages, slowly but confidently. Once it rested comfortably in her hand and at her side, Annie advanced. Eager to obtain the fire of wisdom, and to leave this place.


	20. The painful Truth

**The Painful Truth**

**AN: Once again I apologize for the long spaces in time between chapters, school has managed to take up a good portion of my writing time. But have faith! This story will not die! And don't forget to review!**

Annie advanced slowly toward the figure suspicious of what it might be about to do, and of what its motives might be. As she neared it however it made no attempt to move, and remained fixed in place. Once again she noticed the differences between this copy of herself and the ones the dark wolf created. This one was far more alive, and seemed as if it was a perfect copy of herself, and that frightened her. But what unsettled her the most was the lack of reaction in the being, as she came within a couple ten feet it had still yet to attack. Annie took the opportunity to study it in some detail, hoping it would remain still and not catch her off guard. The best way Annie could think to describe it was as if she were standing in front of a mirror with a transparent black film covering it, however this was not entirely true, as light seemed to also move throughout it, and its eyes still being obscured by its jet black bangs.

Unable to gain any useful information from merely observing, Annie slashed at the figure with Illumous as fast as she could manage. Attempting a shoulder to hip slash, seconds later however she was almost knocked to the floor when her blow was soundly blocked by the copy, and the sound of clashing metal reverberated through the room. As the phantom struck its bangs gave way to reveal its eyes, which burned with an intense and harsh solid white, as soon as Annie's eyes connected with its own her vision failed. Leaving her completely defenseless, in a matter of seconds however it returned to her, though it seemed as if minutes had passed.

She did not find herself in the dungeon participating in a sword battle, but looking at her home town from the central street, it was strangely cold, but what she saw terrified her. It was completely barren, gray and dead, showing no signs of life living there anymore. The stone buildings most of which several stories high, having their windows and doors boarded up as if a hurricane were approaching. However the town was far too inland to be in any kind of danger from such a storm. Many sections of the lower parts of the buildings were damaged, ruling out one altogether in Annie's opinion, if it had been a storm indeed, all parts of the builds would have been damaged, the fact that they weren't left possible causes a blank still.

Then there were the posters. They were plastered everywhere, all over the buildings and telephone poles, windows, abandoned cars. Anything that wasn't the ground, and all were missing persons posters with an old photograph of herself on them. Bewildered she stepped forward to pick up one of the papers, only to hit an invisible wall and stumble onto the pavement with a loud clang instead of a thud. Opening her eyes Annie found herself sitting in the middle of the arena with Illumous off to her side a short distance, her copy standing over her, eyes hidden once again.

Its arm twitched slightly, and the shadow Illumous cut through the stone near Annie's feet with an awful screeching sound, but having no problem doing so. She yelped, and frantically scrambled toward where Illumous laid, doing her best to focus as her shadow swiped furiously back and forth across the ground with the tip of the sword as Annie fled, leaving vicious scares in its wake.

Grabbing the blade of Illumous Annie took a swing at the phantoms blade, sending it and its arm farther up in an arc and above its shoulder, but instead of losing hold of the sword, the phantom used the momentum in a back handed slice. Forcing Annie to roll out of its way and behind one of the pillars, once behind it she rose to her feet, and circled back around with her back against the cold stone, Illumous ready in her hand.

The stone above her head exploded with a screeching sound once again, and dark blue stone peppered her face and shoulders. Without hesitation she ducked and rolled into the center of the square, then turned to face her advisory in the process of standing, only to find the phantom in the process of attacking her. She wretched Illumous up above her head to protect herself from the blow, only to driven back down to one knee by its force, the phantom was bewilderingly strong and fast. In an attempt to counter the strike and gain a slight advantage Annie kicked at one of her copies legs, attempting to knock it down. To her dismay however it barely affected the being, moving its leg slightly back, which it in turn used it to its advantage, springing forward after her once again. Recognizing the raw speed at which it traveled, Annie pirouetted to the side holding Illumous at hers to protect her ribs, but also in an attempt to counter the phantom.

Not unexpectedly Annie's attack never connected with its target, and only cut through the empty air. The phantom was far out of reach, but its back was turned and still moving, unable to control the forward momentum it had picked up. Sensing the opportunity Annie lunged at it, her torso almost parallel with the floor, the hilt of Illumous tucked under her arm while its point aimed at the phantoms center. As she neared the it she was convinced the blow would land, however seconds before the blade would have made contact the being pivoted to face Annie faster than she could process, and once again its burning eyes made contact with hers. Annie's vision faded, and she felt herself tilt and pain erupted from her face.

This time when Annie opened her eyes she found herself in her home. Everything was ruined and broken. The walls were shredded as if a large cat had decided to use them as a scratching post, the living room with the sofa TV and other electronics had been toppled throughout the room, wires and cords everywhere along with miscellaneous papers strewn throughout it. The dining table was smashed, splintered off in its middle with only stubs of its legs left.

No one was there, and no one had been for quite some time now. Annie could sense it, she was unsure how but it was the last thing on her mind then. She closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the scene and the implications of it, just as hot tears began rolling down her face. Opening them once again Annie found herself on her hands and knees in the arena again, tears still running down the side of her cheeks, blood coming from her nose now once again broken.

Illumous in hand, Annie looked up at her copy, tears still streaming down her face. She had no idea if the visions were real or not, however Annie could not allow herself to take the liberty of believing they weren't. Thinking about them and what they meant brought on a myriad of emotions, soon turning into a seething hatred, she growled furiously and struck out at the phantom out of spite more than anything. Effortlessly it leapt into the air from its former static position, flipped backwards and landed lithe as a cat on its feet a short distance away.

Her anger, once again fueled by the failed attack, flared into unknown levels. Mindlessly, Annie rushed the phantom. Illumous once again tucked under her shoulder, pointed at her copy. Once again the phantom reacted with inhuman speed, and pointed its own blade at Annie in such a way she would have run herself through quite literally. Acting solely on instinct she folded her legs underneath her, which put her into a slide as she traveled unharmed between its legs. In a flash Annie was back on her feet enacting a powerful backslash as she still faced the opposite direction of the phantom. She felt the sword sink into something but with a screech instead of the sucking slurping sound blades made when cutting through flesh. In her blind rage Annie had not realized how close to the pillar she had been, and her anger turned into dread instantly. Turning, Annie attempted to take in the scene and react as fast as possible to whatever awaited her.

Illumous was thoroughly embedded in the side of the pillar, while the phantom crouched balancing itself on the blade, its white hot eyes beginning to show through its hair. For some reason this thing scared her more than almost anything, almost as much as the dark wolf did, however Annie quickly looked away from its eyes and pulled on Illumous in an attempt to free it, but it remained fixed in place. By the stone or the being standing upon it Annie wasn't sure. She had no time to ponder this however, as her copy soon abandoned its perch and advanced, always putting itself between golden sword and its master. Seconds later it rushed her once again as its eyes became exposed, Annie cursing at herself and the natural human habit of looking at people's eyes as her vision flickered.

This time it was her towns grave yard. In appearance it was mostly unchanged; the stones were unharmed and straight, none of these things bothered her. Not the quiet sadness of it, not the creepy way nothing but grass seemed to grow within it. What sent Annie to her knees were the scattered wooden crosses. Crude and hastily made, the dirt in front of them relatively freshly turned, at most only a week or so old. She fell to her knees, horrified that members of her community had passed, worsened by the fact that here was no way of telling who the people were, the crosses having no inscription. Once again hot tears flowed down her face; she closed her eyes for a moment to let the vision fade, and then looked the phantom straight in the face.

"Why do you keep showing me my home?!" Annie shouted defensively, however as soon as she finished speaking the phantom jerked and fell backwards as if struck forcefully in the chest. Seeing the opportunity Annie ran for Illumous. With adrenalin pumping she braced her foot against the damaged pillar, and wrenched on the sword to fee it. As soon as it came free Annie turned to face the phantom with a scowl, only to find nothing in the arena. She knew better than to relax, knowing that whatever had happened to her copy would not have killed it, or even seriously injured it for that matter.

Suddenly, the phantom proved it was not in fact mute with a feminine 'kiyah!', for a handful of seconds this left Annie stiff with panic. As she did not see it, until that is, she realized her dark copy was coming from above her. Quickly shifting her area of focus, Annie saw the phantom falling towards her from above, presumably having jumped between two of the pillars to ascend. Snapping out of her panic at the last second, Annie jumped to her side to avoid the coming aerial attack.

Seconds later the phantom crashed into the floor, sending up a spray of various sized rocks which pelted her body from head to toe, Annie quickly covered her face with her arms to protect her face from the debris. As soon as things stopped hitting her arms however, she quickly lowered herself into a ready defensive position, with Illumous held at her side.

The force of the blow had caused a small crater of sorts in the flat stone floor, now it's only blemish. As the phantom rose out of it and began to advance, Annie could detect an ever so slight change in the way it now moved. It was obvious to her that whatever had happened when she had spoken to it had harmed it to some degree. Not by much, but it had effected how it moved, taking some of its fluidity from it. Annie yelled out the question that had seemed to affect the phantom so much, hoping it would have some sort of effect on it. Nothing happened. The phantom continued towards her unaffected by the words a second time. It left Annie baffled and confused, but she had little time to attempt to figure it out as the phantom readied its self to attack. As it lowered itself into a crouch to attack, Annie decided to ask a different question, in the hopes it would have more of an effect.

"What's happening at my home…does that have anything to do with me being here?" She asked tentatively, unable to find the anger to yell. The phantoms reaction however, was violent and sudden. It curled in on itself, crossing its arms across its mid-section. Moments later white ichor began to slowly leak over its arms, and then lazily dripped down onto the floor.

For a moment Annie's surprise left her immobile, but she was quickly able to break herself out of it and take advantage of the situation. Annie rushed it with Illumous held high, as she yelled furiously, more than eager to end the fight. However when Illumous met the body of the phantom it did not cut into flesh, it exuded a loud 'CLANG' as if it struck metal, and bounced back in the opposite direction. Pulling Annie off her feet and off balance and leaving her dangerously exposed.

The phantom rose to its feet faster than Annie's eyes could process, exposing a fresh gash across its chest from right shoulder to left hip for a hand full of seconds. In a flash it jabbed at her as Annie was still being pulled backwards by her golden blade. With a growl and wide eyes she pulled Illumous out of its arc and down to block the phantom's jab at her abdomen, but was only partially unable to block the blow however, as the dark version of Illumous's edge began to cut into her left side, her own sent it off in the opposite direction.

Both stumbled backwards, unable to maintain the same degree of balance with their injuries. Annie fell to one knee, stabilizing herself with one hand on the smooth floor, the other using Illumous as a make shift crutch. The phantom stood, slightly hunched over, protecting and covering its bleeding wound, and Annie did her best to assess the wound just above her hip. In seconds it began burning like fire, as hot blood began to stain her golden tunic. Unlike the last time however, she had no time to regret that fact.

Rising to her feet as quickly and as gently as possible, Annie's mind raced. Frantically trying to come up with something, any piece of knowledge that might defeat the phantom as she had just barely managed to stay alive when uninjured, her thinking however, was promptly interrupted. As her dark copy unexpectedly began to stand and advance quickly.

Somehow after a few steps the phantom began picking up speed despite its injuries, entering a flat out run in a matter of seconds. Annie attempted to meet its challenge, but was unable to put much weight on her left leg. Leaving her standing precariously, highly unstable, and vulnerable. She realized instantly that even if she managed to block the phantoms initial blow, its momentum alone would knock her off her feet, giving it the perfect and fatal follow up. Again Annie thought frantically. Trying to connect all the visions with the knowledge she possessed of current events.

An idea tore through her mind then. One that brought forth an unspeakable rage, and the more it began to make sense and the harder she thought on it, the more her body shook with unadulterated hate, just as the phantom neared.

"IT WAS HIM WASN'T IT?!" She screamed until her voice cracked. "THE DARK WOLF!"

The phantoms face twisted into some form of expression Annie was unable to identify, as its own momentum carried it past her. Quickly as she could manage Annie turned to face it, unable to let her guard down. The phantom stood back to her, shoulders slumped, arms hanging at its sides, with the shadow Illumous laying on the ground. Its body shook for a moment, as cracks began to spider web over its body, unleashing a harsh white light. It soon began increasing readily, to the point where Annie was no longer able to look at it and covered her face.

When it dissipated the phantom was no longer there, nor was its sword. Annie collapsed to the floor, exhausted and emotionally distraught. She lay there a while, not keeping track of time, sobbing and resting, while attempting to reabsorb everything that had just happened. Her home was being devastated by the dark wolf's influence, fueling the fire inside her that only burned to destroy him.

"_Stand_," echoed the voice for the first time in what seemed like ages, "_and enter through the door. Once your blade has been tempered by wisdom you will be healed and finally able to leave this place." _

Annie grunted with relief at hearing this, and carefully picked herself up off the floor and made her way slowly to the door. Which now had a handle with which to open it, but before doing so she regarded the grandeur of the gilded tree. Whishing it wouldn't be the last time she was able to see it. She was eager to leave and be healed however, and soon passed through the door, excited to be able to see daylight again.

The blue fire and the light it cast immediately transfixed Annie, holding her gaze constantly. It seemed to dance with intelligence all its own, moving and shying away from her as she neared. The room itself was very small, only large enough to hold a handful of people with only four pillars leading up to the alter that held the fire. The walls were completely smooth with water running down them slowly, but their blue hue was something breathtaking, it was a shade of blue that she could not have possibly managed to imagine. Unbelievably beautiful and intoxicating.

"_Present the sword_," informed the voice, and as she did so the fire leapt out at it. Engulfing the sword and herself, but without burning her, ruining the steel or gold that made up Illumous. As her eyes began focusing once again she found herself healed and transported back out of the dungeon as promised. It took her a moment to realize that she stood above Lanayru's spring. She started to curse, as the sleeve of a black cloak silenced her midsentence. She screamed, with eyes wide, seconds later however, nothing was present in the spring, save for a soft, gentle breeze and the echoes from Annie's voice.


	21. Fight or Flight

**Fight or Flight**

**AN: Once again I apologize for the time it took to write this…College has taken up a lot of my time and ultimately grades come before writing. Enjoy!**

She woke to the sounds of dripping, and moaned angrily, thinking she were back within the cave, but after a few seconds she soon realized this was untrue. The dripping echoed in a forlorn a melancholy manner, and a rather large amount of time between each drip, whereas in the cave, it had been almost a constant flow. There were other noises as well, such as small animals scurrying across a hard stone floor, along with indiscernible human noises. Opening her eyes Annie found herself in a dungeon cell, and though she had never been there in person before, she instantly recognized it. It was Hyrule Castle dungeon. She laid there for a moment, baffled as to how she got there while trying to take in as much visual information as quickly her brain could manage. Remembering the damage the castle had suffered not long ago, Annie looked over her cell door, hoping it was damaged. However, it seemed as if the damage had been localized to the upper castle. Good for Zelda's wellbeing, bad for hers, as the prison seemed to be in pristine condition.

Unwilling to just sit and wait, Annie pulled herself stiffly to her feet, hoping to accomplish something. However, as soon as she stood erect the sound of rustling fabric emanated from one of the corners of her cell. Unwilling to trust anyone and anything Annie tensed, and prepared herself to fight if attacked. The reaction from the other person was far different, as it stood and slowly advanced with an almost indiscernible hitch in its stride. One that Annie would not have been able to see mere weeks ago, and she marveled at this for a second, only then it was replaced with a sort of sadness, as Annie realized just how much this place was beginning to change who she was.

"Do not worry," the feminine voice soothed. It was young yet forceful, soft but stern with a hint of pain or sadness buried deep within it. "The changes you have experienced are what keep you alive. The version of you that first entered this place could not have, and did not survive this place. The more you adapt the more successful you will be in your mission."

"Wha…how do you..?" Was all that Annie managed to choke out in response, her sluggish mind not being able to process how this person knew of her.

"Fear not, I am a friend. I am Zelda, and through my heritage I know of a great many things that of which few others do. Just as I to know of the legend which you embody," finally explain the princess.

"For a secret legend, its not so secret…and by the way where are my things?" Asked Annie turning in a circle, unsurprised at this point, while rubbing her hands up her back missing the weight of her equipment.

"Most likely in the armory. They've been using their enemy's weapons to arm themselves," was the only reply the princess gave, gave Annie a confused look after seeing her grin maliciously. "What?" Asked the confused princess, obviously not understanding.

"My sword…has…special abilities. The kind that doesn't allow anyone but me to wield it," stated Annie, with a slightly sadistic undertone. The princess's face suddenly darkened however, once the words left her mouth. "What?" Inquired Annie, hoping to figure out what had soured her mood so.

"I had originally hoped you were not the golden hero….but you are," Zelda responded bluntly, hanging her head so that her cowl covered her entire face except for her mouth and chin.

"What's wrong with that?" Inquire Annie, accidentally letting some bitterness into her voice.

"Nothing is wrong with it; in fact, it is quite the prestigious title. However, it also means our ENTIRE world could very well cease to exist!" Came Zelda's accusing retort, in turn causing Annie's temper to flare. Just as she began to open her mouth there was a loud blast, followed by a thick dust cloud which caused Annie to smile and utter the name of the source under her breath. Zelda cringed after jumping in initial shock due to her injury, but her demeanor changed entirely after the concussion of noise.

"We must leave!" stated the princess with worry lacing her voice, looking at Annie expectedly.

"What? How am I going to get us out of here?" Questioned Annie back, wondering if Zelda had begun to lose it. To which the princess just sighed.

"Did Lanayru not explain to you the powers you possess as the golden hero?!" Inquired Zelda.

"I kinda ended up here before any of that could happen," responded Annie, shifting her weight to communicate her aggravation non verbally. Zelda's head drooped slightly, her exasperation growing still.

"Just like your blade, you can absorb and use sunlight. But you must focus, and be careful doing so as you could hurt yourself. Now put your hand in a ray of light and concentrate," commanded the princess, wanting to waste as little time as possible, doing so lead to an immediate rush of energy, leaving Annie's body slightly tingly.

"Why…?" was all Annie managed to get out before she was promptly answer by the princess.

"Because you also become more powerful as your sword does, now hurry, put your hand on the lock. Then..release the energy SLOWly," she instructed forcefully. The energy Annie began to release came in the form of heat, through her palm and into to lock, which at first trickled slowly through her arm and into the metal. However, in a matter of moments it rushed out of her body without control resulting in yet another explosion. Leaving Annie sprawled out on the floor of the cell. Without wasting a moment the princess scooped Annie on to her feet, and promptly maneuvered around half torn apart iron bar door, and then promptly made her way towards the weapon room.

Annie was only able to stand there for a moment. Still stunned from the blast she had caused, seconds after Zelda had entered the weapon room the screams of bulbins soon reverberated through the corridors of the dungeon. Snapping Annie out of her stupor, she trotted quickly but casually after the princess.

It only took her seconds to find her blade and sheath, however her bow and quiver were nowhere in sight. Zelda stood in the middle of the medium sized room between the rows of tables covered in various weapons. In her hand she held her own sword, turning it over in her hands.

"You see a bow anywhere?" Annie asked, hoping the princess might have come across it. To which Zelda just shook her head, still standing in place. Thus leaving Annie with only one weapon, and aggravated by the fact she had lost her oldest weapon, and cursing the fact that she had not put any identifying marks on it.

Determined to escape, Annie moved her way past Zelda and through the door. Only to find herself staring the bulbin hoard down, however they fell to the floor with a swift swipe of her sword. Moments later the princess joined her outside the room sullen and quiet. Annie just moved forward attempting to find her way out as quickly as possible, but the more distance she covered, the more Annie realized the dungeon's lay out was vastly different from the one she remembered. There were far more cells, many holding captives of various sorts.

There was almost no time to even consider releasing them, as another, much larger wave of bulbins charged down a dark corridor Annie had walked past. Before she could even react Zelda had moved in front of her and began hacking at the green monsters. Annie could only watch, unable to maneuver around the princess and missing her long rang weapon.

The princess, despite having a minor injury was surprisingly graceful and dexterous with her blade. Moments later they were alone once again, free to attempt their escape. Nonetheless they had little time to enjoy this, as yet another group of bulbins appeared and charged them from behind. This time there were far too many to fight off, their only choice being to run now.

Annie let Zelda take the lead, following the princess on the premise it was her castle, and she most likely knew how to escape it quickly. All the while Annie cut down any of the bulbins that managed to catch up to them.

Soon a sound began to emanate from the upper floors of the castle, soon becoming discernible as an unnatural howl, at which Zelda froze in place, causing Annie to run into her and tumble awkwardly unto the stone floor. The princess never moved, shaking though the reason why escaped Annie. Jumping back to her feat, she made her way the few feet to the Zelda and rest a hand upon her shoulder. However the robed princess shied away from the touch as if it caused her pain. Only moments later did she realize the princess was holding a small dagger to her mid-section. Annie could only mumble incoherently, trying to get words to form yet having no luck in doing so.

Seconds later the dagger was quickly retracted, and an apology was offered as well. Zelda just kept moving, faster than before not looking back for Annie at all, and leaving her to wonder what had caused her previous reaction. What cause Annie the most worry however was the distinct lack of bulbins now, no more came after then and none could be hear either above or below them. All that could be heard now, was a low rumbling only slightly shaking the building, but noticeable nonetheless.

"Zelda, whats going on..?" Annie inquired, attempting to glean some information from the princess, her being more knowledgeable of the castle than herself. The princess gave no answer, and only turned to flee, however she only ended up tumbling through the air, and landed sprawled on top of something. Out of impulse Annie attempted to follow the princess, only to realize what had happened and ended up precariously teetering on the tips of her toes. It was only a matter of time before she ended up on top of the living pile, and sounds of complaint soon emanated from multiple people.

With a small amount of panic Annie rose from her landing spot and readied Illumous quickly scanning the surrounding area for any possible threats, and this time they weren't alone. Making his way down the corridor was Ganon, and the sight was truly terrifying. One of his forearms was badly broken leaving it at an odd angle, while also being cut to the bone on both sides however it did not bleed. His eyes were a sinister red, and his face was devoid of any expression and his head sagged oddly toward one side as he walked toward them in a broken manner. Annie begun to panic as a hand forcefully grabbed her shoulder and yanked her backward, in seconds it felt as her body was being stretched as all senses soon abandoned her.

Peeling herself off the stone Annie tried to figure out what had happened. As her eyes were able to focus light grey stone came into view. The same stone she was laying on, and somehow it seemed familiar. In the process of getting on to her feet Annie yelped and fell once again, realizing she lay mere inches from the edge of Eldin bridge. Carefully rising Annie looked for her companions who were only a short distance away, but the sight was not a heartening one. Zelda now laid one the stone with Midna and Link standing over her, their expressions clouded and dark.


End file.
